News from Bangladesh-Updates and Discussion
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Zabaniyah
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Well, that is because there was some form democracy back then. There was such a thing called free media too.
If the BNP-JI had done what the AL are doing now, I'm pretty sure they'd catch hell for it. They always did for some reason. Not to mention the English-language dailies who had more 'liberal' views, and at times radical. These were read by foreigners too. The presence of JI somewhat infuriated outsiders to such an extent that it made them callous.....especially in light of the post-9/11 era. This shows the level of support and money behind the AL. They took advantage of the global situation.
If it happens....with both the BNP and AL gone, it would surely impact the economy negatively. A military-backed CTG would come after, but how credible would they be? The military had already been compromised. And with a power vacuum, things become very unpredictable and difficult to control.
Sounds a tad bit far-fetched, but very interesting nonetheless...
I just heard that the proposed source tax law from people's savings accounts will not be implemented due to objections from various trade bodies and of-course, financial institutions. Same for the proposed VAT law for education not long ago. Goes to show that people can give the regime a run for their money.
I would say that the common problem with Bangladeshis is that they cannot unite behind a purpose. And even if they do, they cannot do so consistently. The purpose hence just falls apart. The Shahbagh fiasco of 2013 is a classic example. A movement lead by blind people. Bangladeshis lack a common political science within them.
Banglar Bir
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Where exactly in our existing roads will you drive this Porsche? Do we have any Autobahns or even a decent motorway even like M-25 ,forget about about German Highways, A waste of money, just to show off, competing with the Rickshaws and rickety public buses.
Nilgiri
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Loving the butthurt. Its good you understood the magnitude of your defeat. More to come. Yes it can and will get worse.Hope you get triggered and try something to make our job even easier.
Banglar Bir
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50 AL MPs under the scanner
Abu Hayat Mahmud
Published at 01:41 AM June 21, 2017
Sources said most of the popular Awami League leaders who won in their constituencies in 2014 would get party tickets for 2019
The Awami League has started its groundwork for the 11th general elections in 2019, and the nation might see an unprecedented set of changes in the party nominations as a number of existing lawmakers are likely to be replaced by young and new faces.
The ruling party has also started to make preparations to avert pre-election violence, much like the attacks by the BNP-led 20-party alliance before the 10th general polls on January 5, 2014, party insiders told the Dhaka Tribune.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already instructed the existing lawmakers and grassroots leaders to resolve their internal conflicts and prepare for the upcoming polls by highlighting the progress the country has made during the last and current terms of her government, they added.
Referring to the satisfactory performance shown by the young Awami League lawmakers in the 10th parliament, the party chief also announced that more young and dynamic candidates would get the final tickets to take part in the 2019 elections.
Sources said at least 40-50 existing lawmakers would be dropped from the nomination process due to their controversial activities, unsatisfactory performances and lack of communication with grassroots leaders.
Besides, these ruling party lawmakers and their near and dears ones have tarnished the government’s reputation, the sources added.
With the next general elections more than one and a half years away, the Awami League has already started its preparations at the grassroots level, and the MPs are under strict scrutiny as the party plans to weed out the incompetent lawmakers and bring in younger, dynamic leaders to win the polls Dhaka tribune
AL’s strategy to weed out the chaff
When contacted, Awami League Presidium Member Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Faruk Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that their party had yet to finalise the contenders for the 2019 polls.
“The party survey is underway to evaluate the performances of the existing lawmakers. Party chief Sheikh Hasina will finally distribute the tickets based on the survey results,” said the former commerce minister, referring to Hasina’s statement in the party’s last parliamentary meeting.
“It is very simple; the lawmakers who have performed well will get party nomination again, and the leaders whose performances have not been satisfactory will be dropped,” Faruk added.
A member of Awami League’s advisory committee, requesting anonymity, said the party is taking the next elections quite seriously as their largest opposition, BNP, appears to be planning to participate in the election under any government, even though BNP leaders have been demanding for a neutral election-time government.
“The party chief has been keeping a close eye on the lawmakers and grassroots leaders with a view to extracting the best young and dynamic candidates for the elections,” he added.
At the last parliamentary party meeting of the Awami League held at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Hasina warned the inactive and unpopular lawmakers that they would not get tickets to the 11th parliamentary polls, sources said.
Based on various reports of intelligence agencies, the party chief has apparently made a list of the lawmakers who will be dropped from the nomination process, they added.
A party inspection team and an intelligence agency are always monitoring the activities of existing lawmakers, and the prime minister has also instructed them to provide reports in every six months.
Based on the reports, she also instructed the inspection team to search alternative potential candidates for around 50 constituencies.
Sources said most of the popular Awami League leaders who won in their constituencies in 2014 would get party tickets for 2019.
Seeking anonymity, an Awami League presidium member said a number of the young leaders who got the nominations and won in the last elections have performed so well that their chances of getting nominations again are high.
He further said most of the changes will occur in the constituencies that are primarily known for being strongholds of BNP and Jamaat.
“A good number of former student leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League may get nominations in those constituencies,” he added.
Abdur Razzak, another presidium member, said honesty, popularity, educational background and interaction with the grassroots leaders would be considered as the criteria during the selection of the candidates.
The lawmakers who are at risk
One of the Awami League lawmakers who are likely to be dropped from the nomination process is Bazlul Haque Haroon, member of parliament (MP) from Jhalakathi 1 constituency, as local grassroots leaders complained that he never maintained any contact with them, but had good connection with the local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders.
Bazlul is also the president of Awami League’s Rajapur upazila unit and owns the Raintree Hotel in Banani, Dhaka where two university students were raped on March 28.
There are also allegations that Bazlul, who the local leaders claim joined the party in 2000, took huge amounts of money in bribe to appoint teachers in the educational institutions in his constituency.
The local leaders threatened to leave the party if Bazlul’s nomination is not cancelled in the next elections.
Engineer Enamul Haque, lawmaker from Rajshahi 4 constituency, may also lose his nomination due to a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for illegally accumulating wealth and threatening an ACC official.
There are other corruption allegations against him as well: his real estate company ENA Properties failed to develop a housing project in Uttara under the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) while he allegedly took money from this project using his position in the government.
Cox’s Bazar 4 MP Abdur Rahman Bodi is also on the list for his illegal activities, mostly for being convicted in a case filed by the ACC for accumulating illegal wealth worth around Tk10.79 crore.
Md Golam Rabbani, MP from Chapainawabganj 1 constituency, has allegedly been sheltering armed goons instead of cooperating with the law enforcement agencies, sources said.
Muhammad Golam Mostofa Biswas from Chapainawabganj 2, Md Abdul Wadud from Chapainawabganj 3, Sheikh Afil Uddin from Jessore 1 and Ranjit Kumar Roy from Jessore 4 have been accused of not maintaining connection with their constituency and local leaders, and using their positions for personal gains as well as to aid their relatives.
Nizam Uddin Hazari from Feni 2, AKM Awal from Pirojpur 1, MA Latif from Chittagong 11, Mustafizur Rahman from Chittagong 16, Md Uddin Elias Molah from Dhaka 16, Dr Md Enamur Rahman from Dhaka 19, Narayan Chandra Chanda from Khulna 5, Sheikh Md Nurul Haque from Khulna 6, Shawkat Hasanur Rahman Rimon from Barguna 2, Amanur Rahman Khan Rana from Tangail 3, Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury Kayes from Sylhet 3, Imran Ahmad from Sylhet 4, and Mohammad Dobirul Islam from Thakurgaon 2 are likely to lose party nominations for the upcoming polls, as well as a number of lawmakers in Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Satkhira, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Faridpur, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Mymenshingh, Sunamganj, Chandpur, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Bogra, Jamalpur and Pabna, the sources said.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/06/21/50-al-mps-scanner/
Abu Hayat Mahmud
Published at 01:41 AM June 21, 2017
Sources said most of the popular Awami League leaders who won in their constituencies in 2014 would get party tickets for 2019
The Awami League has started its groundwork for the 11th general elections in 2019, and the nation might see an unprecedented set of changes in the party nominations as a number of existing lawmakers are likely to be replaced by young and new faces.
The ruling party has also started to make preparations to avert pre-election violence, much like the attacks by the BNP-led 20-party alliance before the 10th general polls on January 5, 2014, party insiders told the Dhaka Tribune.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already instructed the existing lawmakers and grassroots leaders to resolve their internal conflicts and prepare for the upcoming polls by highlighting the progress the country has made during the last and current terms of her government, they added.
Referring to the satisfactory performance shown by the young Awami League lawmakers in the 10th parliament, the party chief also announced that more young and dynamic candidates would get the final tickets to take part in the 2019 elections.
Sources said at least 40-50 existing lawmakers would be dropped from the nomination process due to their controversial activities, unsatisfactory performances and lack of communication with grassroots leaders.
Besides, these ruling party lawmakers and their near and dears ones have tarnished the government’s reputation, the sources added.
With the next general elections more than one and a half years away, the Awami League has already started its preparations at the grassroots level, and the MPs are under strict scrutiny as the party plans to weed out the incompetent lawmakers and bring in younger, dynamic leaders to win the polls Dhaka tribune
AL’s strategy to weed out the chaff
When contacted, Awami League Presidium Member Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Faruk Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that their party had yet to finalise the contenders for the 2019 polls.
“The party survey is underway to evaluate the performances of the existing lawmakers. Party chief Sheikh Hasina will finally distribute the tickets based on the survey results,” said the former commerce minister, referring to Hasina’s statement in the party’s last parliamentary meeting.
“It is very simple; the lawmakers who have performed well will get party nomination again, and the leaders whose performances have not been satisfactory will be dropped,” Faruk added.
A member of Awami League’s advisory committee, requesting anonymity, said the party is taking the next elections quite seriously as their largest opposition, BNP, appears to be planning to participate in the election under any government, even though BNP leaders have been demanding for a neutral election-time government.
“The party chief has been keeping a close eye on the lawmakers and grassroots leaders with a view to extracting the best young and dynamic candidates for the elections,” he added.
At the last parliamentary party meeting of the Awami League held at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Hasina warned the inactive and unpopular lawmakers that they would not get tickets to the 11th parliamentary polls, sources said.
Based on various reports of intelligence agencies, the party chief has apparently made a list of the lawmakers who will be dropped from the nomination process, they added.
A party inspection team and an intelligence agency are always monitoring the activities of existing lawmakers, and the prime minister has also instructed them to provide reports in every six months.
Based on the reports, she also instructed the inspection team to search alternative potential candidates for around 50 constituencies.
Sources said most of the popular Awami League leaders who won in their constituencies in 2014 would get party tickets for 2019.
Seeking anonymity, an Awami League presidium member said a number of the young leaders who got the nominations and won in the last elections have performed so well that their chances of getting nominations again are high.
He further said most of the changes will occur in the constituencies that are primarily known for being strongholds of BNP and Jamaat.
“A good number of former student leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League may get nominations in those constituencies,” he added.
Abdur Razzak, another presidium member, said honesty, popularity, educational background and interaction with the grassroots leaders would be considered as the criteria during the selection of the candidates.
The lawmakers who are at risk
One of the Awami League lawmakers who are likely to be dropped from the nomination process is Bazlul Haque Haroon, member of parliament (MP) from Jhalakathi 1 constituency, as local grassroots leaders complained that he never maintained any contact with them, but had good connection with the local Jamaat-e-Islami leaders.
Bazlul is also the president of Awami League’s Rajapur upazila unit and owns the Raintree Hotel in Banani, Dhaka where two university students were raped on March 28.
There are also allegations that Bazlul, who the local leaders claim joined the party in 2000, took huge amounts of money in bribe to appoint teachers in the educational institutions in his constituency.
The local leaders threatened to leave the party if Bazlul’s nomination is not cancelled in the next elections.
Engineer Enamul Haque, lawmaker from Rajshahi 4 constituency, may also lose his nomination due to a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for illegally accumulating wealth and threatening an ACC official.
There are other corruption allegations against him as well: his real estate company ENA Properties failed to develop a housing project in Uttara under the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) while he allegedly took money from this project using his position in the government.
Cox’s Bazar 4 MP Abdur Rahman Bodi is also on the list for his illegal activities, mostly for being convicted in a case filed by the ACC for accumulating illegal wealth worth around Tk10.79 crore.
Md Golam Rabbani, MP from Chapainawabganj 1 constituency, has allegedly been sheltering armed goons instead of cooperating with the law enforcement agencies, sources said.
Muhammad Golam Mostofa Biswas from Chapainawabganj 2, Md Abdul Wadud from Chapainawabganj 3, Sheikh Afil Uddin from Jessore 1 and Ranjit Kumar Roy from Jessore 4 have been accused of not maintaining connection with their constituency and local leaders, and using their positions for personal gains as well as to aid their relatives.
Nizam Uddin Hazari from Feni 2, AKM Awal from Pirojpur 1, MA Latif from Chittagong 11, Mustafizur Rahman from Chittagong 16, Md Uddin Elias Molah from Dhaka 16, Dr Md Enamur Rahman from Dhaka 19, Narayan Chandra Chanda from Khulna 5, Sheikh Md Nurul Haque from Khulna 6, Shawkat Hasanur Rahman Rimon from Barguna 2, Amanur Rahman Khan Rana from Tangail 3, Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury Kayes from Sylhet 3, Imran Ahmad from Sylhet 4, and Mohammad Dobirul Islam from Thakurgaon 2 are likely to lose party nominations for the upcoming polls, as well as a number of lawmakers in Barisal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Satkhira, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Faridpur, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Mymenshingh, Sunamganj, Chandpur, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Bogra, Jamalpur and Pabna, the sources said.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/06/21/50-al-mps-scanner/
Bilal9
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If I dont get her then no way
Ramzan mashey ki shuru korla tomra, ha?
Anyways this is past iftar - and Jakia Moon can't hold a candle over our new hoori, Nila......take a look,
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/bangladeshi-fashion.389286/page-116#post-9576870
Bilal9
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GP, SAMSUNG BRING GALAXY S8 AND S8+ IN BANGLADESH
by Staff Reporter - April 11, 2017
Samsung Mobile Bangladesh, in association with telecom service provider Grameenphone unboxed the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in the Bangladesh Market.
The Bangladesh launch precedes that of other markets in South Asia, including India.
The newest additions to the Galaxy flagship devices, Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ were revealed at an event at GP House where Samsung and Grameenphone announced the Pre-order offer for the devices.
Present at the launching ceremony were Yasir Azman, CMO, Sarder Showkat Ali, General Manager, IoT, M4D & Device of Grameenphone, from Samsung Mr Seungwon Youn, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics Bangladesh, Mr. Young-Woo Lee, General Manager, Samsung Electronics, Bangladesh, Mr. Muyeedur Rahman, Head of Mobile, Samsung Electronics Bangladesh, Ruhul Alam Al Mahbub, Managing Director, Fair Distribution Limited; Salahuddin Alamgir, Managing Director, Excel Telecom (Pvt.)
The all new Galaxy S8 and S8+ pushes the boundaries of traditional smartphones with its seamless hardware design and a variety of new service offerings.
As a continuation of the Galaxy series, the Galaxy S8 promises an entirely new mobile experience with features such as a bezel-less Infinity Display and Bixby, an intelligent interface, that offer a new level of functionality and convenience, cutting-edge technology including an advanced camera, enhanced performance, enhanced mobile security with the iris scanner and facial recognition and many more.
Pre-order Offer and Availability
Preorders begin April 11 with exclusive bundle offer from leading telecom operator Grameenphone. Customers can pre-book by visiting www.preorders8.com or www.grameenphone.com or from any Samsung store or Grameenphone center.
In Bangladesh, the Galaxy S8 will be available in Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Coral Blue in all authorized Samsung stores and Grameenphone Centres.
Priced at Tk. 77,900/- the Galaxy S8 can be pre-ordered with confirmation amount of BDT 5,900 with 36 months EMI starting from BDT 2,000. The Galaxy S8+, priced at BDT 83,900, can be pre-ordered with confirmation amount of BDT 7,900 with 36 months EMI starting from BDT 2,111 at 0% interest with all leading banks.
Consumers who pre-order a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ will also get a free Samsung accessory gift and choose one between the highly anticipated Samsung Dex Station and the Samsung Wireless Speaker Bottle. This promotion is valid only during pre-order period and only while supplies last. Terms and conditions apply.
With every purchase of Galaxy S8 and S8+, customers will also get exciting bundle offer from leading telecom Operator Grameenphone where customer will initially get 8GB Free with 14 days validity. Also a further 8GB Internet pack can be availed at Tk. 400 with a validity of 28 days for 8 times in following 8 months.
At the Launching event, Mr Seungwon Youn, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics Bangladesh said, “Samsung has opened up new ways of experiencing the world by the launch of Galaxy S8 and S8+. These beautifully crafted flagship devices deliver new design innovations and cutting-edge technology and usher in a new era of smartphone design and fantastic new services. With the introduction of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, our promise of delivering the best in class devices will mark a new milestone in Samsung’s smartphone legacy.”
Speaking on the occasion Grameenphone’s CMO Yasir Azman said, ”As the most preferred digital service provider, Grameenphone has always been keen to equip its customers with state of the art devices. Partnering with Samsung to launch Galaxy S8 and S8+ in Bangladesh is part of that effort. These devices bundled with exciting offers from Grameenphone will enable our customers to explore the digital world on the best 3G network in the country.”
While replying on a question about RAW's ex-chief R N Kao, Prez Zia stated that the later knew more about BD than him. Start reading Hindu Jamidar's rule from 1887's Surjasta Ain to 1906's Bonga-Bhonga just to find out how. And Nehru's statement on current BD in his 'Discovery of India' along with its grand design for Sub-Continent would lead U to eureka of truth of my revelation.
'RAW & Bangladesh' along with the study of E Bengal, especially during Hindu Jamider's rule would provide U the basis for understanding on why are we so disorganized, thanks?
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Zabaniyah
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I don't need to know why. I can see it happening. Thanks...
Banglar Bir
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Is English a failed language in Bangladesh?
There’s no dearth of English teachers in our country, but are they good?BIGSTOCK
Something is wrong with the way English is taught here
Every language on Earth has its own history of evolution and maturation.
Time and again, humankind has felt the necessity of learning a new language. One understands the value of knowing another language when he or she ends up in a land whose language he or she doesn’t know.
If you ever go to China without knowing Chinese, you’d see what knowing a language is really all about. A language is the best way to communicate. No matter what, we humans have to communicate among ourselves.
There were moments in history when people knowing a foreign language were much more respected or valued than the people knowing only the native language of the land. For us Bengalis, the practice of learning English is a colonial legacy. Apart from our mother language, we have been learning English since the British became successful in colonising this land and its people.
Psychological colonisation
The physical colonisation can be more cemented when one can colonise a population psychologically through a cultural transformation. All the colonising nations have done this by introducing their languages in a new land that they went in to invade.
The French, the English, the Portuguese, the Dutch — all followed the same method. First, they taught their languages in those lands as the tool of business communication, and then, language was the vehicle to win the colonised lot psychologically.
I was discussing the case of English in Bangladesh as well as in South Asia with my friends and teammates recently, and I received fantastic reviews from them. We have seen the state of English in our country over the years, especially after our independence till now, going through various ups and downs.
One of my teammates, highly skilled in the English language, has opined that there is a lack of English language skill among Bangladeshi-Bengalis. He said the individuals who were skilled in this language are greatly valued in the professional arena. What he meant was that the value of English has multiplied more than ever before in the times of globalisation of economics and business.
Language elites
On a different note, a friend mine told me that English enjoys an elite status in this country. Everyone values, without analysing our national interests, those who know the language and can communicate in it.
He sounded very emotional about how we value the existence and practice of English language in Bangladesh.
Yes, in the beginning of the 1980s, we turned most of our textbooks, especially in schools and colleges, into Bangla in order to promote our own language among the masses, as well as uphold the glory of Bangla at all levels of learning.
Everyone values, without analysing our national interests, those who know the language and can communicate in it
Since then, our Bangla has come a long way, gained the status of an international language. Culturally also, we’ve talked quite a lot about the Hindi onslaught in our country.
Despite all this, English has survived here, and we have always understood the importance of knowing the language in a globalised scenario, where every aspect of life is connected with the need to learn English language. No matter what, we need English in almost all spheres of life in this country. English is still a thriving global language.
However, to my mind, the English language and the people who were/are teaching it had many failures for generations. We, in this country, have a weird veneration for the language: We like it, we term it as a means of smartness, and we feel the necessity of learning it, but quite mysteriously, we have a lack of interest in learning.
That’s why I think English has suffered a serious setback here, and turned out to be a failed language. There’s a fear among people about learning this language. They somehow feel that they are or pushed to communicate in English.
Why can’t we learn?
We learn English for about 12 years and yet we don’t learn it properly. Does that mean we are not interested enough to learn it? Does that mean there’s a methodical flaw in teaching it? I myself had learned English from grade I to grade XII, but struggled with it when I went to university.
On the other hand, I learned French in two years at the Alliance Française de Dhaka in the late-80s and could read Molière without any difficulty. Of course, having no utility of French in our country, I almost forgot it. But learning French also taught me how to learn a language. Then on, I tried to learn it myself and attained some acumen in it.
We all aspire to learn the language, but somehow we don’t attain that stage required to present ourselves in the global arena. Something isn’t right in our way of teaching languages at the institutional level.
We have seen a huge number of English-teaching centres around the country, but the level of our English hasn’t perhaps improved. The British Council has been there in this country for a long long time; the UK aid agency has run a mega project named English in Action.
It seems that those initiatives had little impact on our learning psyche. The most worrying fact is that we learn a language for long 12 years, but the expected impact on our English language skills are not at all up to that standard which could take us to the international arena.
In the Bangladeshi corporate environment, most daily chores are run through English. I admire the courage of corporate professionals who get their work done in this language, no matter what their own lackings are. These professionals don’t seem a self-inhibited lot.
However, no one seems to guide them in order to learn it properly.
There’s an uncanny way in which we push the appropriate learning of English away from our masses. Making our own language a priority is one thing, and learning a new one properly is another. If we learn English language adequately, it won’t mean we are avoiding or disrespecting our Bangla.
We shall not allow any humiliation of Bangla, but at the same time, we should be able to create an atmosphere in which we can learn English, which we have been learning for generations now, so that we can make ourselves ready for the highly-competitive international market.
We might as well remember that English isn’t a second language in Bangladesh, but a foreign language, and yet it’s a compulsory subject at the school and college levels.
Ekram Kabir is a fiction writer.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2017/07/07/english-failed-language-bangladesh/
- Ekram Kabir
- Published at 04:42 PM July 07, 2017
There’s no dearth of English teachers in our country, but are they good?BIGSTOCK
Something is wrong with the way English is taught here
Every language on Earth has its own history of evolution and maturation.
Time and again, humankind has felt the necessity of learning a new language. One understands the value of knowing another language when he or she ends up in a land whose language he or she doesn’t know.
If you ever go to China without knowing Chinese, you’d see what knowing a language is really all about. A language is the best way to communicate. No matter what, we humans have to communicate among ourselves.
There were moments in history when people knowing a foreign language were much more respected or valued than the people knowing only the native language of the land. For us Bengalis, the practice of learning English is a colonial legacy. Apart from our mother language, we have been learning English since the British became successful in colonising this land and its people.
Psychological colonisation
The physical colonisation can be more cemented when one can colonise a population psychologically through a cultural transformation. All the colonising nations have done this by introducing their languages in a new land that they went in to invade.
The French, the English, the Portuguese, the Dutch — all followed the same method. First, they taught their languages in those lands as the tool of business communication, and then, language was the vehicle to win the colonised lot psychologically.
I was discussing the case of English in Bangladesh as well as in South Asia with my friends and teammates recently, and I received fantastic reviews from them. We have seen the state of English in our country over the years, especially after our independence till now, going through various ups and downs.
One of my teammates, highly skilled in the English language, has opined that there is a lack of English language skill among Bangladeshi-Bengalis. He said the individuals who were skilled in this language are greatly valued in the professional arena. What he meant was that the value of English has multiplied more than ever before in the times of globalisation of economics and business.
Language elites
On a different note, a friend mine told me that English enjoys an elite status in this country. Everyone values, without analysing our national interests, those who know the language and can communicate in it.
He sounded very emotional about how we value the existence and practice of English language in Bangladesh.
Yes, in the beginning of the 1980s, we turned most of our textbooks, especially in schools and colleges, into Bangla in order to promote our own language among the masses, as well as uphold the glory of Bangla at all levels of learning.
Everyone values, without analysing our national interests, those who know the language and can communicate in it
Since then, our Bangla has come a long way, gained the status of an international language. Culturally also, we’ve talked quite a lot about the Hindi onslaught in our country.
Despite all this, English has survived here, and we have always understood the importance of knowing the language in a globalised scenario, where every aspect of life is connected with the need to learn English language. No matter what, we need English in almost all spheres of life in this country. English is still a thriving global language.
However, to my mind, the English language and the people who were/are teaching it had many failures for generations. We, in this country, have a weird veneration for the language: We like it, we term it as a means of smartness, and we feel the necessity of learning it, but quite mysteriously, we have a lack of interest in learning.
That’s why I think English has suffered a serious setback here, and turned out to be a failed language. There’s a fear among people about learning this language. They somehow feel that they are or pushed to communicate in English.
Why can’t we learn?
We learn English for about 12 years and yet we don’t learn it properly. Does that mean we are not interested enough to learn it? Does that mean there’s a methodical flaw in teaching it? I myself had learned English from grade I to grade XII, but struggled with it when I went to university.
On the other hand, I learned French in two years at the Alliance Française de Dhaka in the late-80s and could read Molière without any difficulty. Of course, having no utility of French in our country, I almost forgot it. But learning French also taught me how to learn a language. Then on, I tried to learn it myself and attained some acumen in it.
We all aspire to learn the language, but somehow we don’t attain that stage required to present ourselves in the global arena. Something isn’t right in our way of teaching languages at the institutional level.
We have seen a huge number of English-teaching centres around the country, but the level of our English hasn’t perhaps improved. The British Council has been there in this country for a long long time; the UK aid agency has run a mega project named English in Action.
It seems that those initiatives had little impact on our learning psyche. The most worrying fact is that we learn a language for long 12 years, but the expected impact on our English language skills are not at all up to that standard which could take us to the international arena.
In the Bangladeshi corporate environment, most daily chores are run through English. I admire the courage of corporate professionals who get their work done in this language, no matter what their own lackings are. These professionals don’t seem a self-inhibited lot.
However, no one seems to guide them in order to learn it properly.
There’s an uncanny way in which we push the appropriate learning of English away from our masses. Making our own language a priority is one thing, and learning a new one properly is another. If we learn English language adequately, it won’t mean we are avoiding or disrespecting our Bangla.
We shall not allow any humiliation of Bangla, but at the same time, we should be able to create an atmosphere in which we can learn English, which we have been learning for generations now, so that we can make ourselves ready for the highly-competitive international market.
We might as well remember that English isn’t a second language in Bangladesh, but a foreign language, and yet it’s a compulsory subject at the school and college levels.
Ekram Kabir is a fiction writer.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2017/07/07/english-failed-language-bangladesh/
Banglar Bir
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The International Crisis Group, observing Bangladesh’s current state commented that,
“As the Awami League (AL) government’s political rivalry with the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) reaches new heights, so has its repression. At the same time, a deeply politicized, dysfunctional criminal justice system is undermining rather than buttressing the rule of law. Heavy-handed measures are denting the government’s legitimacy and, by provoking violent counter-responses, benefiting violent party wings and extremist groups alike.”
Awami Violent League (Part-2) – dailybdtimes.com
Hundreds and thousands of shameful acts have been done by Awami League men so far. Stories of brutality by them are beyond description. This paper has examined some of the most inhumane acts of the party men for a better understanding of its…
Learn More
DAILYBDTIMES.COM
“As the Awami League (AL) government’s political rivalry with the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) reaches new heights, so has its repression. At the same time, a deeply politicized, dysfunctional criminal justice system is undermining rather than buttressing the rule of law. Heavy-handed measures are denting the government’s legitimacy and, by provoking violent counter-responses, benefiting violent party wings and extremist groups alike.”
Awami Violent League (Part-2) – dailybdtimes.com
Hundreds and thousands of shameful acts have been done by Awami League men so far. Stories of brutality by them are beyond description. This paper has examined some of the most inhumane acts of the party men for a better understanding of its…
Learn More
DAILYBDTIMES.COM
ashok321
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Banglar Bir
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Qamrul Islam·
#মহা বিপদে হাসিনা।
২০১৪ সালে ভারতের পূর্ন সাপোর্ট থাকলেও সামনের ইলেকশনে আর সেভাবে নাই। তাকে বলা হইছে, সবাইকে নিয়া ইলেকশন করতে হবে। কিভাবে কি করবা, জানি না।
অন্যদিকে সমশেরের ছাগলামির কারনে গত ইলেকশনে চীন নিউট্রাল ছিলো। কিন্তু এবারে বেইজিং বেশ অ্যাকটিভ। তারা ঢাকায় একটা শক্ত স্টেবল সরকার চায়, যারা সাথে ব্যবসা বানিজ্য করা যাবে নিশ্চিন্তে। তবে তারা একতরফা হাসিনাকে কোনো ব্লাঙ্কচেক দিচ্ছে না। চীনের কাছ থেকে অস্ত্র কেনা কমিয়ে দেয়ায় এবং বিভিন্ন প্রকল্পে অনাকাঙ্খিত সমস্যা তৈরী করেছিল এরা। সব বিষয় বিবেচনায় আছে। তাই মেসেজ খুব পরিস্কার- সবাইকে নিয়া ভালো ইলেকশন করে গণভিত্তিক সরকার চাই। নইলে বিদায়। এসব কারনে চাইলেই বিএনপিকে মাইনাস করে এবার আর একতরফা নির্বাচন করতে পারছে না শেখের বেটি।
সব মিলায়ে চক্ষে সর্ষে ফুল দেখছে ডাইনী বেগম। এখন চীনকে খুশি করার পাকিস্তানের সাথে গোপনে গোপনে পেয়ার মহব্বতের লাইন চালাইতেছে। হঠাৎ দেখা যাবে পাকিস্তানে যাইতেছে বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেট টিম। এতে আবার ক্ষেপে যাবে হিন্দুস্তান। শেষে শ্যাম রাখি নাকি কুল? সেপ্টেম্বরে অনেক খেলা ধুলা দেখতে পাবেন!!
..............চমকের পর চমক দেখার জন্য তৈরী হও বাংলার মানুষ।
#মহা বিপদে হাসিনা।
২০১৪ সালে ভারতের পূর্ন সাপোর্ট থাকলেও সামনের ইলেকশনে আর সেভাবে নাই। তাকে বলা হইছে, সবাইকে নিয়া ইলেকশন করতে হবে। কিভাবে কি করবা, জানি না।
অন্যদিকে সমশেরের ছাগলামির কারনে গত ইলেকশনে চীন নিউট্রাল ছিলো। কিন্তু এবারে বেইজিং বেশ অ্যাকটিভ। তারা ঢাকায় একটা শক্ত স্টেবল সরকার চায়, যারা সাথে ব্যবসা বানিজ্য করা যাবে নিশ্চিন্তে। তবে তারা একতরফা হাসিনাকে কোনো ব্লাঙ্কচেক দিচ্ছে না। চীনের কাছ থেকে অস্ত্র কেনা কমিয়ে দেয়ায় এবং বিভিন্ন প্রকল্পে অনাকাঙ্খিত সমস্যা তৈরী করেছিল এরা। সব বিষয় বিবেচনায় আছে। তাই মেসেজ খুব পরিস্কার- সবাইকে নিয়া ভালো ইলেকশন করে গণভিত্তিক সরকার চাই। নইলে বিদায়। এসব কারনে চাইলেই বিএনপিকে মাইনাস করে এবার আর একতরফা নির্বাচন করতে পারছে না শেখের বেটি।
সব মিলায়ে চক্ষে সর্ষে ফুল দেখছে ডাইনী বেগম। এখন চীনকে খুশি করার পাকিস্তানের সাথে গোপনে গোপনে পেয়ার মহব্বতের লাইন চালাইতেছে। হঠাৎ দেখা যাবে পাকিস্তানে যাইতেছে বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেট টিম। এতে আবার ক্ষেপে যাবে হিন্দুস্তান। শেষে শ্যাম রাখি নাকি কুল? সেপ্টেম্বরে অনেক খেলা ধুলা দেখতে পাবেন!!
..............চমকের পর চমক দেখার জন্য তৈরী হও বাংলার মানুষ।
Banglar Bir
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Zubaida Rahman likely to join politics soon?
BNP leaders said Zubaida is from an active political family and so it would be 'quite natural for her to come into politics'
The wife of BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman is likely to enter politics soon to assist her mother-in-law, party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, in the upcoming general election campaign.
A number of senior leaders of the party believe that Dr Zubaida Rahman, who lives in London with her husband and daughter, is capable of revamping and rejuvenating the crisis-riddled party through mass communication before the next polls set to be held in early 2019.
Party insiders said Khaleda would discuss the issue with Zubaida and Tarique during her ongoing visit to the UK.
During their meetings in London, Khaleda, Tarique and Zubaida will also prepare a roadmap and determine the party’s course of action for the polls, they added.
Preferring to be anonymous, a top-level BNP leader told the Dhaka Tribune that the BNP chief recently discussed Zubaida’s induction into politics with the standing committee members, and they supported her in this move.
Zubaida will be inducted into the party amid rumours that Khaleda might be convicted at any time in any one of several cases filed against her, according to party sources. Tarique’s own direct involvement in politics has been complicated by his conviction in one of the 14 graft cases filed against him.
Tarique was arrested during the political changeover in 2007 and went to the UK for treatment on September 11, 2008. Since then, he has been living there with his wife and daughter, while his mother Khaleda has been in politics alone without any of her family members.
Zubaida’s reputation
BNP leaders said Zubaida is from an active political family and so it would be “quite natural for her to come into politics”.
The daughter of former navy chief MA Khan, Dr Zubaida “will be able to bring a qualitative change to the country’s politics with her aptitude and reputation,” they believed.
The party’s grassroots workers, too, prefer her to play an active role in the party in absence of her husband.
BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said: “There is no obstacle to her joining politics. The country has been undergoing a political crisis. So, we need her in politics at this moment.”
In August last year, Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh praised Zubaida, saying “she will do well as a politician.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/07/18/zubaida-rahman-likely-join-politics-soon/
- Manik Miazee
- Published at 12:30 AM July 18, 2017
- Last updated at 04:08 PM July 18, 2017
BNP leaders said Zubaida is from an active political family and so it would be 'quite natural for her to come into politics'
The wife of BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman is likely to enter politics soon to assist her mother-in-law, party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, in the upcoming general election campaign.
A number of senior leaders of the party believe that Dr Zubaida Rahman, who lives in London with her husband and daughter, is capable of revamping and rejuvenating the crisis-riddled party through mass communication before the next polls set to be held in early 2019.
Party insiders said Khaleda would discuss the issue with Zubaida and Tarique during her ongoing visit to the UK.
During their meetings in London, Khaleda, Tarique and Zubaida will also prepare a roadmap and determine the party’s course of action for the polls, they added.
Preferring to be anonymous, a top-level BNP leader told the Dhaka Tribune that the BNP chief recently discussed Zubaida’s induction into politics with the standing committee members, and they supported her in this move.
Zubaida will be inducted into the party amid rumours that Khaleda might be convicted at any time in any one of several cases filed against her, according to party sources. Tarique’s own direct involvement in politics has been complicated by his conviction in one of the 14 graft cases filed against him.
Tarique was arrested during the political changeover in 2007 and went to the UK for treatment on September 11, 2008. Since then, he has been living there with his wife and daughter, while his mother Khaleda has been in politics alone without any of her family members.
Zubaida’s reputation
BNP leaders said Zubaida is from an active political family and so it would be “quite natural for her to come into politics”.
The daughter of former navy chief MA Khan, Dr Zubaida “will be able to bring a qualitative change to the country’s politics with her aptitude and reputation,” they believed.
The party’s grassroots workers, too, prefer her to play an active role in the party in absence of her husband.
BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said: “There is no obstacle to her joining politics. The country has been undergoing a political crisis. So, we need her in politics at this moment.”
In August last year, Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh praised Zubaida, saying “she will do well as a politician.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/07/18/zubaida-rahman-likely-join-politics-soon/
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