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Every MP wants to become a Union Parishad chairman
Dr Ainun Nishat, Emeritus Professor, is a water resources and climate change expert and a former Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University. He has worked on various research related to Bangladesh’s water resource management and climate change, and his books have been well-received both domestically and internationally. He has also presented numerous research papers at various conferences. Recently, he spoke with Views Bangladesh about the interim government's reform commission, environmental pollution in Dhaka, environmental and ecological issues, and river problems. The first part of his interview is being published today. The interview was conducted by Views Bangladesh’s Associate Editor, Girish Goiric.
Cultural heritage must reflect history
Even after the people of Bangladesh established an independent and sovereign state through a nine-month-long bloody war, they still cannot contemplate the distinct national culture of Bangladesh. Their perspective is backward-looking. A section of Bangladesh’s writers, artists, and politicians exhibit a strong aversion to the culture of India, particularly the culture of West Bengal. These individuals trace the origins of Bangladesh's culture to the medieval Middle Eastern culture, especially the history of the spread of Islam. They do not wish to look beyond the conquest of Lakhnauti and Gour by Bakhtiyar Khalji. They focus on the propagation of Islam in Arabia, the Turkey, Afghan, and Mughal periods of rule in Bengal, and follow the trend of the Wahhabi and Faraji movements, leading to the establishment of the two-nation theory and Pakistan, and then to Bangladesh’s history. They emphasize the two-nation theory. It seems as though, not long ago, in 2004, a group of intellectuals gathered in Paltan Maidan with 17 horses to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Bakhtiyar Khalji's conquest of Lakhnauti, an event that gained significant media attention. A section of Bangladesh’s writers, artists, and intellectuals are devoted to Rabindranath Tagore, while another section is devoted to Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Bangladesh faces uncertainty following USAID’s recent decision
Thousands of employees working on USAID-funded projects in Bangladesh face the risk of losing their jobs following a recent decision by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to cut or withdraw funding from several initiatives.
Political shifts occur, but market syndicates persist
It has been less than two and a half months since the interim government took charge, making it premature to conduct an in-depth analysis of its successes or failures. This government assumed responsibility amid complex challenges in both the political and economic realms. Its primary duty is to enact effective reforms in political and economic sectors to facilitate broad-based, participatory national elections that are considered credible both nationally and internationally. With this objective, the government has embarked on various reform initiatives, forming several committees to propose recommendations, which are expected within the next three months.
Rizwana calls for collaboration of civil society for building equitable state
Environment, Forest, Climate Change, and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has said that the fight for establishing an equitable society and state is not just an agenda of an interim government, but one for all of us.
Microcredit vs. Appropriate Credit
Microcredit initiatives often come into question when discussing poverty alleviation efforts. What are microcredits, how they are provided, and what their implications are will be discussed later. It is worth mentioning here that significant changes have occurred in the microcredit scheme since 2011.
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