15-10-2018

EDITORIAL
MonDAy,
oCToBER 15, 2018
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Monday, October 15, 2018
2004 grenade attack case :
Justice after 14 years
I
t's
better to be late than never as the adage goes.
The 2004 August 21 case in which a heinous
attempt was made to kill en masse top Awami
league leaders including --very importantly-- our
incumbent Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has
been undoubtedly a deeply shameful chapter in our
national history where the search for justice
continued to cry out in vain. Thus, it was a moment
of great satisfaction when on Thursday last the truth
was finally, amply and irrevocably established about
who were the real and behind the wings assassins in
that tragic event. The judges declared Tareque
Rahman, the acting Chairman of the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) as the mastermind of the
plot to kill our beloved Prime Minister. He was
joined in that effort by the then State Minister for
Home Affairs Lufuzzaman Babar and other
stalwarts of the BNP and elements of extreme
Islamist terror groups.
While Tareque was given life imprisonment,
Babar was sentenced to death by hanging. But this
is not the end of the matter. The present Awami
League leadership have reacted saying that life
imprisonment for Tareque is not enough as the
mastermind behind the appalling crime. So, he too
deserves capital punishment or hanging by death.
Thursday's judgement was only in a lower court.
Therefore , they are likely to appeal in a higher
Court to further increase Tareque's punishment
from life imprisonment to capital punishment or
death sentence. It is also speculated after the
judgement that in the next step the AL leadership
would also seek to associate ex Prime Minister
Khaleda Zia with the event as she was also holding
the portfolio of Home Minister at that time. It could
not be that as Home Minister she had no knowledge
of the bestial crime that her State Minister was
plotting or the direct patronage and supervision of it
by her son Tareque who at that time was
unofficially the most powerful and influential
individual of the BNP administration eclipsing even
his mother in most cases.
This case highlighted the willingness of the
intelligence services to become involved in domestic
politics. Intelligence organizations exist to protect
the state against its enemies, not to take sides in
domestic political disputes. In Bangladesh the
intelligence organizations in this case were dragged
into domestic politics, losing their professionalism.
These special organizations were used and
corrupted to serve domestic political interests. First,
protection of the AL leaders was unsatisfactory.
Second, no attempt was made to control the crime
scene negating use of forensic methods to provide
objective evidence. Without forensic evidence it
was difficult to prove what actually happened.
Third, the police investigation in the BNP period
was corrupt and false. It was only resumed
investigation under a caretaker government that
put the derailed investigation process on a right
track. Earlier, the then BNP government with its
Home Ministry tried many gimmicks to falsely
placate innocent persons with the incident that
completely reoriented the investigation away from
any objectivity. Indeed BNP's handling of that
episode was a stark manifestation of the criminal
bent of its leadership at the highest level.
Of course, the BNP leaders are saying after
Thursday's verdict that the convicted men are
victims of political vengeance. But what politics can
be there in seeking justice for killing and maiming
of so many in the completely peaceful rally of a
political party by firing into it and tossing live
grenades ? Surely, the judgement was to punish
ones responsible for such sheer murders whereas
the attackers were ones who had express political
designs in attempting to wipe out the core
leadership of the country's oldest and biggest
political party in a bid to pave the way for their
ascendancy.The grenade attack killed 24 Awami
League leaders including former president Zillur
Rahman's wife Ivy Rahman and injured scores of
others. Sheikh Hasina was also injured and luckily
avoided certain risk to her life. More than 500
leaders, activists, supporters and people attending
the meeting were injured during the barbaric
grenade attack. The assailants also fired few bullets
at the bulletproof SUV that Hasina boarded
immediately after the blast.
Many of the convicted --including mastermind
Tareque Zia--are in foreign countries hoping to get
political asylum. The recent court verdicts against
them in Bangladesh have clearly established their
guilt and in all fairness there exists no grounds--
legally and morally-- to accord them political
asylum. Therefore, the credibility and international
image of these countries will be at stake if they do
not heed international norms and conventions in
the matter and fail to hand these convicted persons
to Bangladesh authorities as would be requested.
Coal's comeback killing hopes of climate change reversal
The report released last week by the
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) was not the
first time that alarm bells had been rung
by scientists about how little was being
done by governments, companies and
societies to address this urgent issue. The
report reinforced what many
environmental activists have believed for
a long time, especially since the "historic"
Paris Agreement of December 2015,
which was hailed as a ground-breaking
moment in mankind's resolve to
minimize its footprint on the
environment.
The Paris Agreement saw various
nations setting their own targets for
reducing carbon emissions, or Nationally
Determined Contributions, which may be
a start, but they are hardly good enough,
as the meeting could not agree on any
mechanism for policing the
implementation of these targets. Nor
were any principles laid down to tackle
countries that don't respect their
commitments. This key element was left
for subsequent annual conferences, with
hopes that the meeting in Bonn - Cop23
in 2017 - would see the writing of a rule
book to govern the implementation of
national commitments.
However, three years later, as we move
toward yet another UN Climate Change
Conference, this time Cop24 in Katowice,
Poland, in December, there is little
What's going to happen over the
next few days is probably the
most important development
in Syria's eight-year ugly war.
Tomorrow is a vital date for peace and
war in Syria, in Syria's Idlib province. If
a deal on the suggested demilitarised
zone in the province is successfully
implemented, it could open the door for
a settlement to end the bloodshed in the
entire country.
At their summit meeting in the
Russian city Sochi last September both
Russian and Turkish presidents,
Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, signed an agreement to
establish a demilitarised zone in the
province along the contact lines that
separate the government troops and the
opposition by October 15. Putin
described the agreement as "a very
good deal" (so did his Turkish
counterpart) "that would prevent
further bloodshed and the sides are
actively working on fulfilling it."
He was speaking at the plenary
session of Russian energy conference
recently. Though Iran's President
Hassan Rouhani was at Sochi, he was
not a part of the Putin-Erdogan
discussion, but the Russian president
said he will be working further with
Erdogan "with the support of Iran in
this case." The agreement specifically
states that military hardware should be
withdrawn from there (demilitarised
zone), which will be controlled "by
Russian and Turkish military patrols."
Putin understands that he needs
Iran's input for the agreement to
succeed even though there is no
physical Iranian involvement in the
province itself. But Tehran can create
obstacles if the agreement on Idlib
would develop into a prelude for a final
settlement in the entire Syria that
agreement on the rule book and many,
perhaps more serious, disagreements
have emerged. The climate change battle
received its first major setback in mid-
2017, when US President Donald Trump
announced the withdrawal of the world's
largest economy from the Paris
Agreement. In one stroke, Trump
undermined decades of work, as the US
had always been the least keen on any
global pact to curb emissions and
accountability for its actions. Thus, when
Barack Obama had signed on at Paris in
2015, it was hailed as a major
achievement.
Aside from that, Trump also reversed
another of his predecessor's policies - on
promoting renewable energy and
reducing dependence on coal, which is
the biggest contributor to global pollution
would eventually see the withdrawal of
all foreign forces from the war-torn
country.
In fact, the Russian president was
very clear when he said that "we should
pursue a goal that there would be no
foreign forces in Syria at all, including
Russian."
The question is whether Tehran will
go along with Putin's plan for pulling
out of the country where it has invested
so much to sustain the regime of Bashar
Al Assad. This is part of Iran's regional
expansionist policy. The military arm of
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC), known as the Quds
Force (Failaq Al Quds), commanded by
the infamous General Qassem
Sulaimani, has been heavily involved in
the Syrian war from the time Al Assad
forces put down civil protests in the
south of the country in 2011. It's been
reported that about 4,000 Iranian
soldiers and high ranking officers have
been killed in different battles in Syria
since then. It is also estimated that 12
Iranian IRGC brigadier-generals have
been killed and among them is
Mohammad Jamali-Paqaleh who died
in the outskirts of Damascus in 2013.
Another officer, General Hassan
RAnvIR S. nAyAR
nAMIRA SAMIR
and carbon emissions. Trump
aggressively supports the coal industry in
the US, promising subsidies and other
government support to revive the
economy in the country's coal mining
regions. In protecting coal, the US is the
principal but not the only culprit.
Australia, another big coal producer and
exporter, has defied the IPCC report of
last week and said it will continue to use
and exploit its coal reserves. India, one of
the biggest consumers, is also less than
keen on coal reduction, as are some
European nations, notably Germany and
Poland - the former for its energy needs
as it has decided to phase out nuclear
power plants, and the latter as a major
coal producer and consumer.
Recent developments have put a huge
question mark on the reality of the Paris
MuSTApHA KARKouTI
Shateri, also of the IRGC, was killed
while travelling from Beirut to
Damascus.
Iran exercised full control over
political decisions in Syria up until
September 2015 when Russia began its
own military build-up in the country,
particularly at its airbase in
Hemeimeem, near Latakia and in its
naval base in the coastal city of Tartus.
However, having established
themselves firmly in Iraq following the
withdrawal of the bulk of the American
forces, General Sulaimani and other
division officers are currently able to
travel almost freely from Tehran via
Baghdad through Damascus right to
Hezbollah's bases in Lebanon.
For Iran, Al Assad's Syria is the most
important ally in the Middle East as it is
key to its strategy in the region. If Al
Assad falls, the whole Iranian strategy
will collapse.
"Demilitarised zone around Syria's
last rebel stronghold of Idlib may delay
and possibly herald the beginning of the
end of the vicious war"
Several thousands of Iranian soldiers
and special forces were deployed to
Syria, joining about 10,000 militia from
its regional proxy, Hezbollah, and
Agreement and indeed on the capacity
and willingness of mankind to reduce
carbon emissions.
The situation is hardly better with the
other big fossil fuel: Crude oil. Both
producers and consumers have gone slow
on replacing petroleum with other,
greener options for energy production.
After some promising gains in energy
efficiency, as well as a reduction in the
consumption of fossil fuels for three years
in a row, 2017 saw a significant reversal
and energy-related carbon emissions
reached a new high of 32.5 gigatons. This
ensured a total growth of 2 percent in
global carbon emissions, which also stood
at a record high, thus putting a huge
question mark on the reality of the Paris
Agreement and indeed on the capacity
and willingness of mankind to reduce
carbon emissions.
The world has been trying to address
climate change since the 1992 UN
Framework Convention for Climate
Change (UNFCCC). However, 26 years
later, there is very little to show in terms
of real achievements in curbing manmade
climate change. There have been
numerous conferences and meetings,
each followed by a very "historic"
declaration, but very little progress on the
ground, as carbon emissions globally
continue to rise.
Source: Arab news
Turkey and Russia hold the key to Idlib
The government of Indonesia has
been employing expansionary
fiscal policy to boost the economy
by reducing taxes and increasing
government spending. While fiscal
policy has always been a favorite tool of
policymakers to control the economy, it
could lead to unintended consequences.
Indonesia's government debt
continues to balloon, reaching an alltime
high in 2017. The size of the
country's foreign debt has resulted in a
heated argument over which policy
approaches should be utilized to help the
economy to grow positively.
In regard to this debate, some
economists believe that Indonesia's
debt-to-GDP ratio is still at a safe level at
34%, as per Bank Indonesia, which is
much lower than in countries such as
Greece. However, comparisons between
countries to counteract the notion that
Indonesian government debt is indeed
alarming is utterly irrelevant.
The indicator that should be used to
determine whether a country has a low,
moderate or high level of debt is the
benchmark set by the International
Monetary Fund. For developed
countries, the debt-to-GDP ratio
prudential limit is 60%, while for
developing and emerging economies it is
40%. Looking at the upward trend of
Indonesia's government debt, it is
therefore possible that it could soon
reach the prudential limit as determined
The situation is hardly better with the other big fossil fuel:
Crude oil. Both producers and consumers have gone slow
on replacing petroleum with other, greener options for
energy production. After some promising gains in energy
efficiency, as well as a reduction in the consumption of
fossil fuels for three years in a row, 2017 saw a significant
reversal and energy-related carbon emissions reached a
new high of 32.5 gigatons.
Iran exercised full control over political decisions in Syria up
until September 2015 when Russia began its own military buildup
in the country, particularly at its airbase in Hemeimeem,
near Latakia and in its naval base in the coastal city of Tartus.
However, having established themselves firmly in Iraq following
the withdrawal of the bulk of the American forces, General
Sulaimani and other division officers are currently able to travel
almost freely from Tehran via Baghdad through Damascus right
to Hezbollah's bases in Lebanon.
by the IMF.
The surge in Indonesia's debt in the
last three years was expected to have
enormous positive impacts on
employment and the wealth of its
citizens. Yet the reality is very different.
The Gini ratio is currently 0.39, with
rural income inequality on the rise, data
from the Central Bureau of Statistics
(BPS) suggest.
Furthermore, job creation has not
done much to absorb the growth of the
labor force of Indonesia. According to
BPS data, between February 2017 and
February 2018, only 140,000 people
were released from unemployment,
while 6.87 million remained jobless.
Moreover, annualized growth of
Indonesia's gross domestic product
remains stagnant at 5.06%, with
development still highly concentrated in
Java. The number of people living in
poverty is down somewhat, but the
government has failed to reach the
ambitious target set in the National
Medium-Term Development Plan
(RPJMN) to reduce the poverty rate to
7%.
All this shows that fiscal policy does not
always work in practice as it does in
theory. There are internal factors that
influence the success of fiscal-policy
implementation.
The total population of Indonesia is
currently 265 million, with 131.88
million females and 133.12 million
males. Although the gap between the
proportions of men and women is
narrowing, that is not what is happening
in the workforce. In the first quarter of
2018, the employment to population
ratio (EPR) was 78.62% for men and
52.73% for women. This indicates that
nearly half of the country's women are
unable to participate in the economy.
Indonesia still has a traditional view of
gender roles in society. Women are
expected to tackle household chores
while men make their way through the
economy. Women are not seen as equal
to their male counterparts and even if
they do participate in the labor force,
often they only hold minor roles in their
affiliated institutions.
The low participation of women in the
workforce negatively affects the
country's economy. Gender gaps in
economic participation have been found
by such economists as Stephanie
Seguino of the University of Vermont to
be associated with the rate of per capita
GDP growth. In addition, women who
are not being given the opportunity to
work might face difficulties on
maintaining their well-being.
As such, unemployment is not merely
the result of "no jobs," but also the lack of
opportunity to be included in the pool of
qualified labor. The government
therefore must design new policies
aimed at stimulating the demand for the
employment of women. This will act as
individual fighters assembled from
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
On the other hand, it was Russia's
interference that really kept the regime
on its feet. Its aid to the regime since
September 2015, through direct
military intervention, was the vital
lifeline that sustained Al Assad. It was
Russian air power that tilted the war in
favour of the regime.
Therefore, it was this outside support
that prolonged the war by saving the
regime every time it was on the verge of
collapse. Henceforth, the Syrian regime
managed to consolidate its control over
many territories west of the Euphrates,
particularly after Aleppo fell into the
hands of Al Assad's forces in early 2016.
Now with two major players in the
war trying to settle the conflict in the
province of Idlib, would this mark the
beginning of an era in which Syria
returns to normality?
It is difficult given that more than
450,000 people have been killed, in
addition to 5.5 million dispersed to
neighbouring countries and beyond
(almost three million are in Turkey
alone), and another six million who
have been internally displaced. Close to
1.5 million people are scattered in Idlib
province itself.
Additionally, the UN estimates that
about 13 million Syrians are currently in
urgent need of humanitarian
assistance. This is more than half the
pre-war population.
In Idlib alone, some 2.9 million
people (among them one million
children) face an existential threat if a
full-scale military operation is to start.
However, if the Turkish-Russian plan
works, the people of Idlib may just
survive the catastrophe.
Source: Gulf news
Expansionary fiscal policy and gender inequality in Indonesia
an external factor that can reduce the
gender-specific unemployment rate of
women and hence the overall
unemployment rate. Consequently, this
will increase aggregate demand, because
recently employed women will have the
incentive to buy, which will stimulate the
economic growth of Indonesia.
Increased female participation in the
labor force has been shown to have a
long-term effect on the economy. Job
opportunities for women contribute to
lower fertility rates as the opportunity
cost of having children soars. By holding
employment, women will have greater
bargaining power that will positively
impact their children's well-being.
Therefore, educational and employment
equality are mutually causative. With the
provision of employment opportunities
to women, the government will be able to
tackle not just poverty, but the lack of
education and health.
Expansionary fiscal policy will often
result in two conflicting outcomes: large
government debt and positive economic
growth. In Indonesia, the growth rate is
not so promising, which is believed to be
indirectly influenced by gender
inequality in economic participation.
Therefore, government spending and
tax reduction should not be the only
fiscal-policy approaches taken by the
government of Indonesia.
Source: Asia times