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Improving railway services
2007-10-20 17:59:00
Mahmud RashidA recent newspaper report is symbolic, as if, of the degraded conditions of service rendered by the Bangladesh Railway (BR). But what things were pointed out in the report are typical conditions noted also in other parts of the country where the BR runs a service. Tracks have become unfit for lack of regular maintenance. The speeds of the trains have to be slowed down, therefore, to guard against accidents. But even with such caution, the probabilities of accidents are always there. One bad morning, countrymen may have to be only deeply shocked by a catastrophic train accident if the present utter negligence in repair and maintenance works is not reversed. Amenities that travelers of railways have to depend on such as clean toilets and seats, comfortable and hygienic rest rooms in the rail station, etc., are like dream things for the passengers of the BR as these requirements are hardly ever fulfilled.Besides, steps are called for to stop travelling by railway train tra...
More About: Services

Jute industry : Present and future
2007-10-20 17:57:00
Shabbir YusufTHE contribution of jute sector to economy of Bangladesh is enormous. This sector has been generating employment to a large segment of total population of the country, directly and indirectly over the years. Bangladesh produces 5.5-6.0 million (55-60 lakh) bales of raw jute every year of which some 3.2 million (32 lakh) bales are used in the existing 148 jute mills. The country exports 2.4 million (24 lakh) bales of jute. Some 1,60,000 employees of the country are directly employed in the jute mills.The total demand for jute goods in the international market is 0.75 million (7.50 lakh) tonnes. Bangladesh exports 0.46 million (4.60 lakh) tonnes of jute goods while India enjoys a share of 0.285 million (2.85 lakh) tonnes in the international market. Dhaka controls 62 per cent share of the total jute goods market of the world and earn Taka 20.125 billion (2012.5 crore) by exporting jute goods. Bangladesh is the lone exporter of raw jute. Last year the country exported 2.4 ...
More About: Industry , Future , Present

Jute sector : Down but not out
2007-10-20 17:55:00
THE situation in the country's problem-ridden jute sector merits close attention in view of the move that has lately been taken by the government for its revival. Hence, this leader closely follows the one that this paper carried in its issue last Thursday. We had all but given up hope on jute -- once known as the 'golden fibre' -- whose production and exports provided the lifeline for the Bangladesh economy at independence when jute and jute goods comprised over 75% of our export basket. Yet, after thirty five years of independence and a host of misguided policies, and contrary to many populist notions about its demise, the jute sector is alive, with a promise of renaissance no less.Over the past six years or so, export of raw jute and jute products from Bangladesh rose by 119 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively. There is also substantial untapped potential for high value-added and price competitive jute products, e.g. speciality jute-mixed fabric for car doors with an unlimi...

The buck for eviction drive stops with govt, not police
2007-10-20 17:53:00
Removing makeshift shops on pavements and roadsides in the capital and elsewhere in the country was among the first few actions of the military-driven interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed since its assumption of office more than nine months back. Now, the local government, rural development and cooperatives adviser, Anwarul Iqbal, claims the eviction of hawkers was not on the agenda of this government. Some ‘overenthusiastic’ police officers were responsible for such a move, he said when talking to journalists on October 17. If this is not a travesty of truth, we wonder what is. The eviction drive by the joint forces comprising the armed forces, police, Rapid Action Battalion and the Bangladesh Rifles, went on for weeks, if not months, leaving more than one lakh hawkers jobless and affecting about three million people — and also the economy to a certain extent — in the process. Not once during the mindless exercise did we hear the LGRD and cooperatives adviser or any of hi...
More About: Drive , Police , Stops , Eviction , Buck

Durga Puja: rising crescendo of joy
2007-10-20 17:52:00
The five-day Durga Puja celebration, the greatest religious celebration of the Hindu community, is on in the city, as elsewhere in the country. The image of Durga has been installed on the altar in the puja tents which have been set up in different localities with the bright coloured canopy and decorative lights and festoons and microphone-amplified music cheering and enlivening the atmosphere. The decoration and setting of the altar and the background with the lighted aureole producing an unearthly halo around the image further accentuates its beauty and grace. The image is a representation of the Hindu belief. With a spear in her hand she is about to kill Asur who represents the forces of darkness and evil. Durga, the great destroyer of demonic power, shall triumph and free the world of wickedness and evil. She represents light and beneficence. Today is the Nabami. The crescendo of joy and celebration has been rising since Thursday, the Saptami. From morning devotees, women and m...

Delaying justice is defeating justice
2007-10-20 17:51:00
Syed Mujtaba QuaderThe quickness in the dispensation of justice, and the degree of empathy society has for the disadvantaged, are two of the most important measures of the state of advancement of a nation. On both counts we Bangladeshis fall far behind. No money or investment is required to attain this - all that is required is the cultivation of a state of mind. With the growth of multifaceted NGOs like BRAC, ASA and Grameen Bank and the presence of a vociferous civil rights community the disadvantaged may have found some solace in recent times. But, the dispensation of quick justice seems to have taken a back seat in a pseudo-democratic environment where political parties take advantage of the ignorance of the common people and the greed of the privileged ones. The more that one can use the judicial system for one's own selfish ends, the more successful he becomes. The legal system seems to have become a tool for the clever, the wily and the unscrupulous to the detriment of the e...
More About: Justice

Durga Puja : The great socio-religious event
2007-10-20 17:50:00
Prem Ranjan DevDurga Puja is the greatest socio-religious event of the Bengali Hindu. The concept of Durga as a Goddess symbolising 'Sakti' took a long time to evolve out of many ancient religious texts and traditions. The Skanda Purana says that the Goddess got her name after killing a demon called Durga, who had been harassing the Gods and had stolen the Vedes from them with a view to destroying religions. Then the Gods unitedly sought her intervention, the Goddess destroyed the demon and restored the Vedas. She also incorporated the Vedas into her own body to ensure that these were not stolen again. That is why Durga is also called Vedamoyee. She destroys all the evil forces represent by the six ripus : lust, anger, greed, delusion, arrogance and jealousy.Durga is tranquil and turbulent, sereve and fierce, soumya and rudra at the same time. However, what is generally worshipped in the Bengali Hindus is Durga as Mahishasuramardini, as the vanquisher of Mahishasura, the buffalo-d...
More About: Event , Great , Religious

About suitable cars for UNOs
2007-10-20 17:49:00
THE Cabinet Committee of the government has decided to buy 150 jeeps of the Pajero brand for an equal number of Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs). The Citizens Rights Movement (CRM) has opposed the decision. It is reported that the purchase would cost Tk 40 crore at the rate of near about Tk 27 lakh for each jeep. CRM is reported to have termed the said cars too much luxury in a country where '59 percent of the people are landless and most of their daily income is below one dollar.' They called upon the government to cancel the decision and, instead, asked for the purchase of 50 more Volvo double-decker buses to ease the transport problem in Dhaka City.Pajeroes are not considered viable on the roads in rural areas of the country. Most of the kutcha roads are not suitable for their use. Metalled roads under the upazilas are not many. Moreover, they are neither wide enough nor properly maintained. Road conditions in the rural areas in the rainy season are unsuitable for smooth movemen...
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Charted fare of taxis, auto-rickshaws
2007-10-20 17:48:00
THE Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), according to a recent media report, is likely to launch 'a crackdown' on CNG-run auto-rickshaws and taxicabs in the capital city with a view to ensuring smooth running of the vehicles so that a section of drivers cannot charge extra fare and do not decline to go to destinations desired by passengers. The decision of taking of tough actions against the violators of the charted-fare was taken following the failure of the mobile courts conducted suddenly by the road transport authority from time to time as reported quoting the BRTA chairman. In this regard, the BRTA chairman very rightly said : 'There is no other way left to check the whims of the drivers of the 3-wheelers and taxicabs as they have gone out of control. The CNG-run auto-rickshaw and taxicab drivers still charge extra and additional fares from their passengers and refuse to go to their desired destinations although the government has increased fare of the 3-wheelers.In A...
More About: Auto , Fare

The other dimension of police management
2007-10-20 17:46:00
Muhammad Nurul HudaAlthough a police organisation appears as an archetypal legal-rational bureaucracy in the Weberian mould, in practice policy is formulated and implemented with a characteristic lack of attention to the precepts of rationality. As such, it is not unusual to see that police organisations of different societies, Bangladesh inclusive, find themselves committed to achieving the impossible.One classic illustration of venturing to reach such an impossible objective is the much-publicised solemn declaration to reduce crime levels, or the utopian scenario of zero crime. This is so because, while zero tolerance of crime may be an admirable strategy, the expectation of zero crime shall continue to remain in the realm of imagination.Some may take exception to the aforementioned hard comment. However, the reality, sociologically speaking, is that while we must develop for our survival, social dislocation and disorganisation, wanton disregard for the existing values by the devi...
More About: Management , Police , Dimension

Aiming high for exports
2007-10-20 17:44:00
Aiming high for exportsChallenge is to transform the downtrend into an upturnThe government's export earning target for fiscal 2007-08 at US$ 14.5 billion envisages a 19.07 percent increase over last fiscal year's earning of US$ 12.17 billion. What is growth about unless every year we notch up higher earnings than the preceding year's level? True, but the point to note about this year's higher export target is the backdrop against which it is set: perceptible downturn in export earning was observed during the last three months of fiscal 2006-07. As a matter of fact, the new export year opens on a rather critical note with earnings in July plummeting by 21.08 percent. The downtrend in RMG sector, the mainstay of our export earnings, reflected far fewer orders received between December and March of last fiscal, the time-period marked by effects of political instability followed by massive labour unrest. As ill- luck would have it, warmer winter in the west led to a deficit in orde...
More About: High , Exports

Fatal road accidents
2007-10-19 18:16:00
At least 43 people were killed and more than 150 were injured in road accidents in the country including the capital in the past five days till Wednesday. It is clear that the families of the victims could not celebrate the holy Eidul Fitr festival.Road accidents are very dangerous perils in our country. These claim a very high percentage of some 1.2 million people killed annually across the world. Daily newspapers and TV channels cover incidents of road mishaps almost daily. These accidents kill and injure many people. Loss of property in these mishaps is huge. Still, more deplorable are the conditions of the people lamed or bereaved by the unfortunate mishaps.Reckless driving, over loading, and plying of unfit vehicles are the main causes of road mishaps. Driving by apprentice drivers also causes accidents often. Faulty roads and highways is another big cause of accidents. Besides, there is almost no arrangement to monitor speed limits and fitness of vehicles. Defying or ignorance...
More About: Accidents , Cide , Fatal

An independent judiciary
2007-10-19 18:13:00
Effectiveness of institutions depends primarily on the quality of people who run them. In a broader context the quality of any society depends on the quality of its members. With the long awaited separation of judiciary from the executive only days away these thoughts have become relevant. We have seen how successive parliaments abdicated their responsibilities and obligations to the nation and turn into concerts where only the ruling party members sang. If the quality of our legislators were better we could possibly have avoided the mess we now find ourselves in. Independence of the judiciary is necessary for ensuring rule of law and justice. But for that to become a reality we need people who understand these finer points and also have the guts to call a spade a spade. As our lower courts prepare for their journey to freedom we only hope the judges and magistrates would be aware of the huge responsibility they are going to shoulder from now onwards.Separation of judiciary from the...
More About: Judiciary , Independent , Epen , Dependent

WORTH A LOOK
2007-10-19 18:10:00
Will flood-hit farmers be left in the lurch?AMM Shawkat AliIn line with past tradition, the government had set the criterion for eligibility of farmers to get assistance in terms of ownership and size of land holdings. Only farmers owning lands up to 2.5 acres will qualify for flood assistance. This time-old tradition has its own drawbacks. It leaves the sharecroppers out of the assistance net. Bulk of them may not own lands at all. They make a living by sharecropping. There is a strong ground to make some special dispensation for this class of farmers. How this can be done remains the key question and one that is more or less unansweredIN THE heat of the continuing debate on various issues of national concern, the post-flood rehabilitation issue appears to have been relegated to the position of a non-issue. Some news has, however, appeared in the press about the post-flood rehabilitation programme to be undertaken by the government. The government surely is facing a critical situat...
More About: Worth , Wort

Sanitation for all by 2010: Still a long way to go
2007-10-19 18:09:00
The national sanitation month began from October 1 with the hope of achieving the goal of ‘sanitation for all’ by 2010. For this goal to be achieved, all the relevant quarters and the people in general need to come forward, as about 60 million people in our county are still out of sanitation coverage, which is not at all a desirable situation. Even though the government claims that 85 per cent of the families across the country have so far been brought under the coverage of sanitation, a claim that is debatable, the task ahead of bringing the rest in this country of 150 million people is still not an easy one. Most of the people in rural and slum areas cannot afford to install sanitary latrines. As a result, they defecate out in the open, mostly near water sources, thereby creating serious environmental as well as health hazards for everyone in the area. Only a few among them use some form of open or hanging latrine. But again the waste finds its way to water sources and causes...
More About: Long

Opinion: Ill-fated air-craft?
2007-10-19 18:08:00
Dr.Abdul RuffHistory is filled with incidents of air-crashes killing innocent lives on board. Such ill-fated air-crafts continue to be a part of security system meant for top leaders of the world.Helicopter accidents are not uncommon in the rugged Kashmir region, but the crash came at a sensitive time. Military officials later said that Musharraf was in the city, which lies about 60 miles northeast of the capital, Islamabad.Musharraf has been the target of attack and each time his life was in danger and he escaped miraculously.But luck can not be a permanent phenomenon in any body's life.The country's previous military ruler, Gen. Zia-ul Haq, died in an unexplained explosion on board a Pakistani military aircraft in 1988 along with U.S. Ambassador Arnold L. Raphael and several other top generals. In March 2006, a Red Cross helicopter crashed in Kashmir while delivering food aid to earthquake survivors, injuring its two South African pilots. Six Pakistani soldiers died when an Mi-1...
More About: Opinion , Craft

Education that ignore social realities
2007-10-19 18:07:00
M. Mizanur RahmanSince independence unlike mushrooms the most costly education of kindergarten schools or the like have been spread throughout the cities and towns for the children of the well to-do people of Bangladesh having no monitoring system or control from the government educational authorities concerned. Whether this English medium schools are of any use nationally leaving aside the huge primary level schools (both government-run and privately managed) of the children of greater masses of the people of Bangladesh who used to read in Bangla medium is yet to be assessed. Even some kindergarten-like Arabic schools for the children in different names are established and running in this country in parallel but in typical formation. In Madrasha and Yatimkhana (orphanage) primary level teaching of Qaeda Ampara of AI-Quran etc., in Arabic version without any meaningful translations of them into national language Bengali given to the children to cram had never been consistent with th...
More About: Social , Education , Duca

Tax facilitates social welfare
2007-10-19 18:06:00
Dr. M. Azizur RahmanBusinessmen are the major tax payers in any country and also in Bangladesh. Business is the manufacturing, production, trading & purchase and sales of goods and services. Business is for the human life and living for businessmen and for non businessmen in private and public sectors. Each and every human being directly or indirectly depends on the business in private and public sectors.The Government earns an income or a revenue and form the development budget by taxing general people and the businessmen in particular as they are the major tax payers. Sometimes, the Government borrows domestically and internationally to meet the shortfall of its Annual Development Plan (ADP) and to do the major infrastructural work. All these debts the Government has to repay with the tax-payers' money.Every transaction, in kind or in cash, between two individuals or parties is based on the 'give and take policy'. The Government imposes and collects tax from people. Tax pay...
More About: Social , Welfare , Fare

Preventing road accidents
2007-10-19 18:05:00
THE number of road accidents shoots up during Eid festivals, and it is no exception this time. It was reported in a national daily on Wednesday that road accidents killed about 40 persons in four days. Eid festivals induce a great deal of mobility. People in great numbers move from their work places to celebrate the festivals at their village homes and then return after the holiday. Accidents are not to be seen as unusual during such a traffic rush period. The increase of road accidents during this period suggests that something is wrong with management of traffic on the roads plus the existence of other factors that lead to those. Accidents again are not only a festival-time phenomenon. These occur in large numbers throughout the year. The available statistics on road accidents in Bangladesh are not very accurate but whatever statistical information are available point to a high rate of the same.Road accidents in Bangladesh claim on an average 4,000 lives and lead to about 5,000 in...
More About: Cide , Eventing

FAO award for a Bangladeshi
2007-10-19 18:01:00
FAO award for a BangladeshiHe has done us proudAbul Kalam Azad, a Bangladeshi agriculturist, wins the prestigious FAO award for excellence in horticulture. He is in the company of four other recipients of the award in pisciculture, agriculture marketing, home gardening and social forestry from Cambodia, Mongolia, Samoa and Thailand.Azad has always been an example for others for his devotion to and commitment for development of horticulture, a potential golden goose for export from the country. We are heartened by the news and join the nation in congratulating him.Although our agricultural practices have been traditionally concentrated on cultivation of rice and other food grains, there is, however, an increasing sign of diversification of crops as is evidenced in people taking to pursuits like horticulture.To that extent, development of horticulture in general is worth noticing. It is an important factor in meeting the overall nutritional requirement of public health. On the other h...
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Separation of judiciary from November 1
2007-10-19 17:58:00
Separation of judiciary from November 1Efficiency and integrity of justice system must now be enhancedIt will certainly be a historic moment for the nation when the process of judicial independence gets underway on November 1. The long-felt need for separation of the judiciary from the executive now looks about to be finally met. Indeed, we can reasonably say here that the fundamental and necessary changes being brought about in the way the judiciary will work from now on are an outcome of the long and sustained struggle put up by the nation over the years for the supremacy of law and fairness and efficiency of the justice system. Under the new arrangements, all control over the lower judiciary will pass into the hands of the Supreme Court. The system of executive magistracy that has so long operated in the lower courts will give way to one of judicial magistrates working under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court.We welcome this development auguring well for the nation. Had ...
More About: Separation , Judiciary

Eradicating poverty
2007-10-18 17:39:00
Yesterday was International Day for eradication of poverty .Eradication of poverty is the foremost amongst the asoects included in the Millennium Development Goals( MDG) which the developing countries are striving to achive . In Bangladesh , poverty eradication , gender empowerment , healthcare for the masses, education for all, and right for justice in our siocial scenario , need to be ensured . But only observing the day and undertaking programmes on the day are not enough.We have to stand up and speak out against poverty , and not through words but positive action. Sinve the 1990s public agencies and NGOs have been undertaking poverty alleviation progarmmes, and the dvelopment of the RMG industries have gone a long way to ensure employment for the poor , including the rural poor, and also their access to eduaction, healthcare care and the mans to uplift the quality of life of the poor. Poverty eradication progarmmes should also include provision of shelter for the poor, rural and...
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Setting ambitious export target
2007-10-18 17:36:00
Setting ambitious targets is easy, difficult is achieving those. So, when the government sets a 14.5 billion US dollar export target for fiscal 2007-8 we keep our fingers crossed. Against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown—-China and India being notable exceptions——a 19.07 per cent increase in the target will call for all-out efforts top achieve it and that too, if all relevant factors remain under control. We have assurances from the leaders of the BGMEA and BKMEA, the two sectors contributing most to our export earnings, that the target is achievable provided the business environment remains favorable. We hope it will. However, the July export figures do not inspire much confidence that at the end of the year the target will be met. In July overall exports went down by about 20 per cent with readymade garments alone showing a 24 per cent decline. August-September figures are not available yet but from the optimism of the people concerned one can presume that there ha...
More About: Target , Export , Ambit

Integrated planning for the energy sector
2007-10-18 17:35:00
Mahmudul HasanThe energy sector in the country, presently, is a source of worry for short, medium and long term planning. The state of the sector is causing serious concern both at the macro and micro levels of the economy. The macro level concerns are mainly due to the inseparable vital links between economic growth and investments on the one hand and the energy situation on the other. The micro level anxieties are from existing entrepreneurs finding it hard to cope with short supply of energy and the disincentives that have been created for further investments by them in different fields from these conditions of paucity of energy.It is imperative to address the overall energy situation under a carefully considered master plan that would address all sides to the development of energy sources. The plan needs to be formulated and implemented at the fastest in view of the worsening energy related conditions. Once it is firmed up and clear signals are received about its full implementa...
More About: Energy , Planning , Integrated

Downtrend in FDI flows
2007-10-18 17:34:00
INVESTMENTS are the keys to economic growth. Developing countries such as Bangladesh are specially keen to play host to foreign investments in greater number because in most cases the rate of their internal investments, remains poor. The foreign direct investments (FDI) flows to Bangladesh have been pushing up from an insignificant trickle to notable amounts in recent years. Particularly, in 2005, the FDI flow reached US$845 million which was the highest ever recorded. Thus, optimism was created that even higher FDIs would be received in the following year. But that has not happened according to the World Investment Report released by the UNCTAD last Tuesday. It showed that FDIs received by Bangladesh in 2006 was US$ 792 million indicating a drop from the previous year. However, this decline is not a major one, only 6.0 per cent from the previous year.But the worry is not about the figures of last year when FDI inflows did not slump really despite political uncertainties, violence a...

Will lease-out of mills revitalise jute sector?
2007-10-18 17:34:00
Shahiduzzaman KhanIn a well-thought-out decision, the government is going to lease out eight state-owned jute mills to the private sector. According to a report published in the FE last week, the decision was taken by the cabinet committee on economic affairs in order to revitalise the ailing jute sector and save the public sector jute mills from accumulated losses of Tk 47.70 billion until 2006.The government decision is expected to inject fresh dynamism into country's one of the vital export-earning sectors. About 6000 employees became jobless due to recent closure of four state-owned jute mills. These retrenched officers and employees will be absorbed in the same mills again. The government has also planned to adjust the liabilities of the closed-down jute mills with the lease money. The concerned banks have already been advised not to charge interest on the outstanding loans that the jute mills owe them. Of the eight mills ready for lease-out, four have been already closed down...
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NBR proposes recovery of evaded tax from seized property
2007-10-18 17:30:00
Doulot Akter MalaThe National Board of Revenue (NBR) is contemplating realisation of the amounts equivalents to tax evaded from property seized by it.The NBR will soon send a proposal to the government for taking measures to realise outstanding tax from the sale proceeds of the property seized by it after fulfilling legal obligations."We are working on realisation of tax from the seized property as the board has filed tax evasion cases for dodging tax," said the NBR chairman Badiur Rahman.The board has filed cases against evasion of a large amount of tax. So it (NBR) should get its tax evaded by taxpayers from the seized property, he said.The NBR is yet to calculate the amount of tax due on account of tax evasion while tax rate might be determined as per existing income tax law or as per court's order, he said.The government has seized property worth around Tk 512.8 million (51.24 crore) belonging to politicians and businessmen on the charges of tax evasion.The board Wednesday gave...
More About: Recovery , Property , Prop , Pert , Rope

The BDR economics
2007-10-18 17:28:00
Ariana AhmedIn this article I would like to focus on the disturbing effect of involving the army in direct economic affairs of our country. We all know the government has given the Bangladesh Rifles an interest free fund of Tk 90 crore for its ‘dal-bhat’ project (New Age, June 12) – geared towards directly importing food. We further know that the BDR-operated markets have increased from 20 to 200 (New Age, July 24). We will first discuss why the policies will be ineffective, and secondly discuss the misleading statements made by the military-backed interim government regarding such policies. Interest free loanInterest free loans are the dream of every institution. They are essentially a subsidy provided to an institution (in this case the BDR) by a larger body (in this case the treasury). They provide a lower operating cost (no interest) to a preferred provider compared to the rest of the market (where there’s interest). Let’s do some simple math. To keep the calcula...
More About: Economics

Make the economy vibrant again
2007-10-18 17:27:00
That the commercial banks are awash with excess liquidity, of about Tk 13,000 crore, as reported in New Age on Wednesday, is indicative of a severe lack of business confidence in the country. As the report quotes officials of different banks, this idle money is not only hampering income opportunity of the commercial banks but also signifies substantial impediment to overall growth of the economy. It has been reported widely in the media that local investment and foreign investment proposals have fallen alarmingly during the tenure of the current military-driven interim government. This lack of investment coupled with the central bank’s previously declared tight monetary policy, as a number of economists have pointed out, means that there will be less employment generation. The lack of employment will then translate into the lack of earning opportunities for the general people. Lack of earning sources would naturally mean further misery for the masses, especially since the incumb...
More About: Economy , Make

The army chief’s comments
2007-10-18 17:26:00
The army chief, General Moeen U Ahmed, has made several important statements while talking to reporters at the Bangladesh High Commission in London on Tuesday. The army chief said that while he was aware of the widespread rumours that he wants to become the president of our republic, those rumours have no basis in reality as he does not have any such ambition whatsoever. Although the army chief may have attempted to sound selfless and magnanimous in declaring that he did not want to become the president, and while it may even be true that General Moeen does not have such a political ambition, the very fact that these rumours exist only shows the weaknesses that our two important institutions, the political parties and the national army, suffer from: the fragility of our political process and perceived political ambition of the army. Had there been a functioning democracy with a sound political culture, there would and could not have been any rumour to the effect that the chief of th...
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