BNP
Stop mafia circle surrounding garbage trade
Political leaders are finding "honey" in garbage. That a mafia circle can grow around garbage trade is only possible in Bangladesh. During the previous Awami League regime, Awami League leaders enjoyed the "honey" from garbage, and now BNP leaders are taking their share. According to media reports published on Monday (July 14), BNP leaders will pocket Tk 418 crore from the garbage trade. According to available information, in the last fiscal year, Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) collected Tk 131 crore in cleanliness fees for household waste collection.
Stop extortion, murder, and terrorism
After the brutal killing of scrap goods trader Lal Chand alias Sohag (39) in front of Mitford Hospital in the capital, a horrific incident related to extortion occurred last Friday (July 11) in the Pallabi area of Mirpur in the capital. A group of people, after being denied a demand of Tk 5 crore in extortion, launched an attack with weapons at a real estate company called AK Builders in the Albirtech area of Pallabi.
Changes in network value chain, licensing policies raise crucial questions
Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Aminul Hakim raised an important question at a recent seminar organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB). The event was held on July 12 at a hotel in Dhaka. I was in the audience section, and tried to listen to and understand everyone’s speech throughout the event. Among the questions raised at the seminar, to me, Aminul Hakim’s question was the most important—yet it went unanswered.
Vote, ballot, satire: A portrait of democratic uncertainty
Electoral politics in Bangladesh has now reached such a stage where reading the news and hearing a joke feel like nearly the same experience. When will the 13th parliamentary election be held? One could say a tug of war is ongoing between political parties, especially the BNP, and the caretaker government. Some say these are political dramas. Others call it the final verse of democracy. But whatever it may be called, what echoes deeply in the mind of an ordinary citizen today is this: does anything actually change through voting?
If interim govt lacks authority, country's dev will be hindered
The interim government's initiative to hand over the management of one of Chattogram Port’s nine terminals to a foreign company is drawing heavy criticism. During a recent visit to Chattogram, Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus remarked that since Chattogram Port lags behind global standards, its management should be entrusted to one of the world’s top companies—and the public must be made to understand the necessity of this move. The government has already selected a foreign firm: DP World, a state-owned company from the UAE. Dr Yunus has met its CEO twice, both at home and abroad. The company’s proposed responsibilities include easing port congestion, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing efficiency at Bangladesh’s primary maritime gateway.
Ensure people's safety
After a video went viral on social media showing robbers snatching a young man's bag in broad daylight while holding knives, widespread fear has gripped the general public. According to media reports published on Tuesday (May 27), the incident took place on the afternoon of May 18. The location was Greenway Lane in Moghbazar, Dhaka. The victim of the robbery is a young man named Abdullah, who is from Cumilla. Following the incident, on Sunday night, Abdullah filed a case with Hatirjheel police station against three unidentified individuals. The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Hatirjheel police station told the media that efforts are underway to bring the three robbers involved in the case to justice.
Robbery in a hearse: What kind of Bangladesh is this?
Various types of crimes occur in society and the state. Editorials are written about these incidents in the media. Warnings are issued to the government and the public so that such events do not happen again. But now in Bangladesh, robberies are even taking place in hearses—who can be addressed or warned in such a situation? How corrupt must the soul of a nation become for its people to commit such despicable acts! Not even a hearse is safe from robbery. The tragic part is that, in the act of robbing, the robbers even assaulted the dead body.
Politics in troubled water: A portrait of turbulent times
The ambiguity, uncertainty, and tension building up in politics are not just a series of events—they form the portrait of the times. They reflect the deep-seated weaknesses, contradictions, and instability in our system of governance. Almost a year has passed since the change of government, yet we have failed to formulate a clear outline, timeline, or a responsible political narrative. Instead, a complex picture of uncertainty, irresponsibility, and opaque practices is becoming clear. Observing the sequence of events, many are saying that this is part of an invisible plan, the purpose of which is to muddy the waters and achieve personal interests. The reality is that some force is either trying to turn this muddy water into their playground or is a participant in this plan—is there any doubt about that? The government which was considered the most acceptable and powerful is now, even before completing 10 months, clearly showing signs of weakness. The lack of policy clarity, confusion in decision-making, and absence of political goodwill have raised public questions—is this government even aware of where it is heading?
Is distance between govt and BNP centring election only
BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, and Mirza Abbas have recently made some comments that make it seem as though BNP is the main opposition party to the interim government. Although BNP also played a major role in the process of forming the interim government led by Dr Yunus after the fall of the Awami League in the face of an uprising in August last. From the beginning, BNP has been saying that the interim government is their government; but, just a few months after this government assumed office on August 8 of last year, a distance or tension began to emerge between the government and BNP. This raises the question: is this distance between the government and BNP only about the election issue, or are there any more reasons behind it?
Stop violence of extortionists
The news is not only tragic but a matter of national shame. According to a report published in the media on Thursday (May 15), a Swechchhasebak Dal leader allegedly took away the cow of a housewife named Nargis Begum (25) at Rajapur upazila in Jhalokathi, because she couldn’t pay “extortion money”. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when the cow was taken from a field in Ghighra village of Shuktagor union.