Banks in the country are failing to comply with the regulations regarding expenditure in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) sector. According to Bangladesh Bank's rules, at least 30% of CSR expenditure should be allocated to the education sector, 30% to the health sector, 20% to environment and climate change adaptation, and the remaining 20% to other sectors. However, the reality is the opposite.
Writer and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmad is at once a historian and a valiant freedom fighter. Among those who have written, analysed and researched most extensively on the political context of post-independence Bangladesh, he is one of the foremost. He is the only political writer in Bangladesh to have written a book on the 1973 election, titled The Election of ’73. He has also authored Red Terror: Siraj Sikder and Proletarian Politics, The Anti-hero Sirajul Alam Khan, Awami League and BNP: Which Way, The Rise and Fall of JASAD: Politics of Unstable Times and several other works. He continues to write on contemporary politics.
Although we have two seaports, in reality Chattogram port is used far more for transporting goods. After the formation of the interim government, its Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus spoke hopefully about this seaport. We were also beginning to see some light of hope. In the fiscal year 2024–25, Chattogram port set a new record in container handling. During this period, about 32 lakh 96 thousand TEUs of containers were transported through the port. In the entire 2023–24 fiscal year, 31 lakh 68 thousand 690 TEUs of containers had been handled.
Election-oriented people believe that once an election is held inflation will fall, GDP will rise, a flood of investment will come, factories will not close, there will be no shortage of gas supply, electricity prices will fall, load-shedding will end, there will be no traffic jams on the roads, and students will not lose concentration due to the sounds of sermons and band music. On the other hand, some believe that even if an election is held none of these will happen; instead, new thieves will appear, robbers in different guises, corruption-hungry officials, bribe-takers in religious attire, and newly styled money launderers. The current ACC Commissioner Miah Muhammad Ali Akbar Azizi has recounted at a public hearing how he himself paid bribes; he described the harassment he faced in obtaining approvals or no-objection certificates from numerous institutions for a multi-storey building design, and mentioned how he had to pay one lakh taka in bribes the very day before going on Hajj. Since giving bribes is a crime, no one admits to it, but even honest people have to pay them; proving it is difficult. Even if proof is found, fighting the administration is foolish, because the bribe-takers know the countless sections of law, and which ones are non-bailable. These things do not happen only under dictatorships; they happen under the democratic systems of elected governments too.
There is nothing new to be said about the chaos in Bangladesh’s traffic system. Every attempt to bring discipline into traffic management fails time and again. It is like trying to store water in a leaking pot—water is poured in on one side, only to flow out the other, leaving nothing in the end. In the meantime, the government has taken a fresh initiative to restore order in Dhaka city’s traffic system. With technical support from BUET, traffic lights are being installed at 22 new intersections from the High Court junction to Shahbagh, Bijoy Sarani and the airport. At seven intersections, after installing lights and launching them on a trial basis, faults have already been detected. Reliance is back again on the traditional hand signals.
Nepal’s recent demonstration, daubed as ‘Gen Z Revolution’ took the world by surprise on several fronts. First, it emerged as a spontaneous uprising appealed through the social media, at a time when the media had been banned. Second, it started directly from the climax and reached its denouement in merely two days. It toppled a stubborn regime and threw away an old order. This happened without a leader, without any consorted call, without an announced charter for action, and without any centre to monitor the course of action. Amazing! Truly amazing!
In that sense, these agreements are little more than signatures on paper. Put simply, confronting Trump does not mean submission; rather, identifying his weak spots and striking there will bring results. A far more effective strategy is to put maximum pressure on the US economy.
Writer and researcher Mohiuddin Ahmed is both a historian and a valiant freedom fighter. Among those who have written, analysed and researched most extensively on the political context of post-independence Bangladesh, he is one of the foremost. He is the only political writer in Bangladesh who wrote a book on the 1973 election, titled Tiyattorer Nirbachan (The Election of ’73). He also wrote Lal Santras: Siraj Sikder o Sarbahara Rajniti (Red Terror: Siraj Sikder and Proletarian Politics), Pratinayak Sirajul Alam Khan (Antihero Sirajul Alam Khan), Awami League BNP Kon Pathe (Which Way Awami League and BNP), JASADer Utthan Patan: Asthir Samayer Rajniti (The Rise and Fall of JASAD: Politics of Turbulent Times), among others. He continues to write on contemporary politics.
Since the July mass uprising of 2024, we have been hearing that the government is working with great seriousness to prepare a complete and accurate list of July martyrs. In January 2025 the government published the list of ‘July Mass Uprising–2024’ martyrs in the form of a gazette.
Amendments are being brought to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act-2009. These changes aim to empower the NHRC, which has been operating with limited power and independence, by enhancing its own authority and ensuring unhindered freedom in its work to guarantee the protection and development of human rights. Furthermore, the amendments mandate that the appointment of its Chairman and members must be done through a transparent, open, and competitive process. After the Law Commission's recommendations, the amendment is currently with the Ministry of Law for vetting. The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law has confirmed this information.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has astonished the nation in almost a poet’s tone. He has announced that elections will be held in the first half of February. But it will not be just an ordinary election, rather a festival of elections.
Even before the end of the DUCSU election, the JUCSU election began and is now nearing its end; but the vote counting has been going on for three days; yet election no longer means transparency or trust, but rather a stage shrouded in rumours, counter-rumours and the shadow of party politics. Meanwhile, reports are heard that although several parties including the BNP took part in the election, they later rejected it. The counting continues; but endless questions remain about what the final result will be.