EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

           

 

Assuming extreme positions

Seek solution through dialogue

Begum Zia has rejected the PM's offer of a dialogue saying that there is no scope for talks and that the government must resign while ensuring that the caretaker system stays. She is prepared to discuss on, what she calls, an acceptable caretaker government only after the present government resigns. The BNP chief has not however elaborated what according to her would be an "acceptable" caretaker government.

While the PM said that the government was open to suggestions, her previous statement carried an element of finality on the issue of caretaker government. And the PM cited judicial compulsion in this regard. The matter has been further confused with different people in the government and the ruling party coming out with their own interpretations of the verdict.

We have said in this very column repeatedly that in politics there is no scope for inflexibility. Rigid positions and the stand off between the major political parties in the past had led to serious consequences. We regret to say that, if anything, the distance has increased and with it the animus between the AL and BNP.

We must admit that the PM's comments had sent out mixed signals, and she must clarify her position when she says that the government is not rigid on the caretaker issue, and that the government is indeed honest about finding a way out of the likely impasse.

We cannot but express our consternation at the direction politics is moving towards. Given the already charged political situation the articulated positions of the parties cannot sit well with the general public who would not like to see similar situation as that of October 2006 revisit us.

The Supreme Court verdict, while declaring the 13th Amendment illegal, has however suggested that two general elections could be held under the caretaker system. There is always a way out provided there is honest political will, which we hope both the parties would display.

Unauthorised sawmills

Act to save the environment

The observance of World Environment Day in Bangladesh yesterday could not have been a cheering exercise. With the country now home to only 10 per cent of forests where the global required standard is 25 per cent, it is time to ask why we have consistently failed to roll back the damage systematically being done to our environment. Part of the answer comes from reports of a blatant, illegal felling of trees in what is officially known as the Sakhipur reserve forests in the Madhupur region. Over the last two and a half years, no fewer than 52 sawmills have been set up illegally, and with the full knowledge of the authorities, in the area. That is a shame. The bigger shame, though, is that the Department of Forests seems powerless to do anything about it since ruling party people are allegedly involved in the illegal business.

At a time when conservation, indeed a rapid augmentation of forests is called for, the depletion of greenery in Sakhipur arouses grave concerns in the public mind. Such illegal activities in the area are not new. The whole ugly business began prior to 2006, and the caretaker government that followed did well by knocking down all the unauthorised sawmills set up there. Today, things are back to square one. Where no sawmill should be built within ten kilometres of a reserve forest, we have 52 operating within 100-200 metres of the forests.

That a nexus of corruption involving forestry officials and local ruling party elements is at work here cannot be ruled out. Such corruption and everything else going wrong with the forests must be stamped out now. As it is, lopsided urban development has already led to a disappearance of trees in towns and cities. If now it is the turn of reserve forests and other green spots to lose their basic elements, it will be stark environmental disaster we will soon be staring at. Will the government wake up to the danger?