16-01-2019

EDITORIAL
WednesdAy,
JAnuAry 16, 2019
4
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam
Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103
e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
keeping vital
national institutions
above reproach
N
o
elected government during the last decade
and a half before the coming into power of
the present one in Bangladesh could show
even a semblance of honesty and character in
preserving the character of vital state institutions.
All of them had tampered with them in their bids
to leave behind vestiges of their control even at the
end of their tenures. But people's memories
regrettably are found too short. They complain
these days about the politicizing of the judiciary, the
administration and government services without
thinking who started this process and sort of made
the same a lasting feature of governance.
Undoubtedly, their ill practices only created the
compulsions or inducement on their successors to
follow in the same path on the plea of otherwise
risking political annihilation.
Thus, people are expected to look back and
correctly identify irresponsibilities. It would be
foolish if they are carried away by unfounded
thoughts that these are relatively new
developments and have no links to the past. They
should realize that the roots of the present in such
cases lie buried in the past. So, if reformations are
sought then the same should be carried out with a
proper perspective. Another national election has
taken place and the voters should start
demonstrating their consciousness that they want
the main political parties to commit themselves
irrevocably to completely depoliticize governance
systems from their first day on going to power.
Our people must not forget that under the past
elected BNP led governments, pervasive cases of
interfering with the normal functioning of state
institutions were noted. From the top levels of the
bureaucracy to the lower levels, party loyalists were
promoted to important positions. Even in the
recruitment of civil servants, those who were
certified underhand as party supporters, were
actually recruited. Thus, predominance of BNP
supporting civil servants at all levels, was assured
even after the BNP's giving up of power to contest
the elections. The rank and file of the police were
similarly structured to favour the BNP.
The politicising of the Election Commission (EC)
was too well known. From its controversial Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC) and the equally suspect
deputies, all of them were transparently revealed to be
brazen party supporters who were most stubbornly
carrying out the dictates of their appointers.
The judiciary was similarly politicised. Judges
were also allegedly appointed with political
motivation by the second Awami League led
government. But such appointments and
arbitrariness in the selection of individuals became
rampant from the time of take over by the second
BNP led government of Begum Khaleda Zia.
People with poor or nondescript background as
advocates were suddenly and spectacularly made
judges of the highest court of the land in that
period. One of them who is still to clears charges of
using a forged certificate of the LLB exam, gave the
eyebrow raising judgment in a case against former
President Ershad, completing the hearing and
giving of verdict all on one day that seemed to
demonstrate so clearly that the haste was due to the
prodding of his political masters. The real
significance of such miscarriage of justice was that
the same led to a dismal erosion in the freedom and
quality of the judiciary, the last resort in matters of
getting justice by individuals as well as collectively
by the people in their best interests.
If these misdeeds were not done, then the nation
today would be running well on the high road of
normalcy and well-being in all respects. Successors
governments would not find either the excuse or
the temptation to follow in the same path for
maintaining their grip on power. Thus, there would
be hardly political conflicts of such a serious nature
that we witness now over such issues affecting so
grievously the economic and social life . There
would be no uncertainty and Bangladesh would be
only preparing itself to play the role of an emerging
economic powerhouse with a sound and
functional system of true democratic governance.
Thus, civil society must raise its voice to impress
on all political players after the successful
conclusion of 30 December 2018 election that they
must start from a clean slate and refrain from doing
similar crimes of manipulating and harming vital
state institutions that would only allow a similar
crisis to form in the future to the great detriment of
the country.
delusions of imperial grandeur divide Brexit Britain
As the UK prepares for Tuesday's
key parliamentary vote on a deal
for leaving the EU, the country
continues to stumble over the illusions
that Brexit advocates sold to voters.
Among the ideas that Brexiteers
presented to British voters - well, to the
English and Welsh publics, as neither
Scottish nor Northern Irish voters
supported Brexit - were delusions of
imperial grandeur. Brexit leaders such as
Boris Johnson suggested that, once freed
from EU constraints, the UK would have
exciting opportunities to sign new trade
deals with many countries. The likes of
Nigel Farage tapped into feelings of
nostalgia for empire - a time when the
British felt that they knew their place in
the world, and it was on top.
Of course, many British voters wanted
to remain in the EU. Many were crushed
by the Brexit vote; especially educated,
younger people, who felt that Brexit was
taking away an identity and opportunities
that are closely linked with the EU. Also,
many British citizens have long been
willing to question their imperial history.
I once watched a UK news program
discussing Britain's history in India -
citizens from different parts of the
country called in to highlight problems
with the empire's actions, and the only
caller who defended it was an American.
Those who voted for Brexit did so for a
range of reasons, including frustrations
with economic inequality, opposition to
then-Prime Minister David Cameron,
grievances related to immigration and
cultural change, and an embrace of antielitism.
Some worried about problems
with the National Health Service (NHS)
and listened to Brexiteer claims that
On the same day Donald Trump
and Xi Jinping struck a trade-war
truce in Argentina, some 11,000
kilometers away Canadian authorities
made an arrest on suspicion of violating
US sanctions on Iran. Conversely, a
Chinese court order instructed Apple to
stop sales of its iPhones, which observers
believe was a cautionary signal to
Washington.
All these escalations threaten to make
the US-China conflict much worse. This
latest development highlights the fact
that fundamental disagreements
between the US and China are
intensifying fast and furious. Indeed,
Beijing and Washington face geopolitical
fissures that may persist in the coming
decades.
Such disagreements have become
increasingly evident since 2013 when Xi
launched his trillion-dollar Belt and Road
Initiative to dominate Eurasia and
thereby the world beyond. Donald
Trump's White House, in turn, is
wielding tariffs along with its Indo-Pacific
Strategy as weapons to try to beat
recalcitrant allies back into line and
cripple the mammoth BRI.
However different these approaches
may seem, they share one strikingly
similar feature: a reliance on the concept
of "geopolitics" to guide their bids for
global power.
At the end of the 19th century, an
American naval historian argued that sea
power was the key to national security
and international influence. A decade
kerry Boyd Anderson
withdrawing from the EU would mean
more money for the NHS.
Nostalgia for the British Empire and
the idea that a post-Brexit UK would be
able to pursue a new role in the world also
appealed to many people. For many years
prior to Brexit, many Britons - especially
the English - had felt a loss of identity.
While some, who tended to be younger,
better educated and living in
metropolitan areas, embraced dual
identities as English and European,
others felt lost amid Europeanization,
globalization and the devolution of
powers to the other nations within the
UK. Perhaps some longed for the career
opportunities abroad that the old British
Empire offered to many British men.
Brexit will badly damage the British
economy and leave the country with less
to offer on its own than it can as part of
the EU. Grievances regarding inequality,
lack of opportunities and a loss of identity
are all understandable and deserve
attention. Sometimes, however, such
sentiments cross the line into a longing
for superiority and a sense of entitlement.
A desire for a place in the world is one
thing; a desire to be on top of the world is
another. The desire for a new global role
for the UK is part of Prime Minister
Theresa May's challenge in negotiating a
Brexit deal. For many Brexiteers, the idea
that an unfettered UK will be able to
negotiate new trade deals and further
diversify its trade relationships is
essential and is a key reason why they
oppose any Brexit deal that leaves the
country inside the EU Customs Union.
They are intent on pursuing a "Global
Those who voted for Brexit did so for a range of
reasons, including frustrations with economic
inequality, opposition to then-Prime Minister
david Cameron, grievances related to immigration
and cultural change, and an embrace of antielitism.
some worried about problems with the
national health service (nhs) and listened to
Brexiteer claims that withdrawing from the eu
would mean more money for the nhs.
later, a British geographer observed that
railroads had shifted the locus of global
power landward into the interior of the
vast Eurasian continent.
In the succeeding century, a succession
of scholars would draw on these two basic
ideas to inspire bold geopolitical gambits
by Nazi Germany, by Cold War
Washington, and more successfully by
China's mega-project Belt and Road
Initiative, which primarily focuses on all
forms of physical infrastructure (road,
airport, maritime and energy). China
envisages a vast global network of trade,
investment and infrastructure that will
reshape financial and geopolitical ties -
and bring the rest of the world closer to
Beijing. Since its inception, the BRI has
financed infrastructure projects in 112
countries. It is a modern-day version of
the Marshall Plan, America's
reconstruction effort after World War II,
which created a foundation for enduring
military and diplomatic alliances. China's
strategy is bolder, more expensive and far
Anu AnWAr
Britain," as Secretary of State for
International Trade Liam Fox has put it,
or an "Empire 2.0," as Whitehall officials
reportedly said. The Global Britain
proponents, however, face serious
obstacles. In most cases, a post-Brexit UK
will have less leverage negotiating trade
deals. Brexit will badly damage the British
economy and leave the country with less
to offer on its own than it can as part of
the EU. After Brexit, the country's need to
quickly expand trade relationships will
weaken its negotiating position. The UK
also lacks the technocratic capacity to
riskier. In the West, it is feared that the
BRI is an extension of efforts by the
Communist Party of China (CPC) to
undermine the security and economic
architecture of the international order.
China's growing largesse, Western
countries worry, comes largely at the
expense of international institutions and
American influence.
As the BRI is only five years old (and
many of its main members have been
China envisages a vast global network of trade, investment
and infrastructure that will reshape financial and
geopolitical ties - and bring the rest of the world closer to
Beijing. since its inception, the BrI has financed
infrastructure projects in 112 countries. It is a modern-day
version of the Marshall Plan, America's reconstruction
effort after World War II, which created a foundation for
enduring military and diplomatic alliances.
involved for a far shorter time), its full
results cannot yet be judged. However, a
preliminary assessment can be offered for
BRI projects in South and Southeast Asia,
the region described by Chinese leaders
as the "main axis" of the project. Large
ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Myanmar - three countries along a major
oil and commerce route from the Middle
East and Africa - could someday double
as naval logistics hubs. These three BRI
countries play key roles in achieving
China's core geopolitical strategic goal
called the "String of Pearls." That term as
quickly negotiate a new trade relationship
with the EU and negotiate many new
bilateral deals. While Brexiteers might
love the image of a strong, attractive
Britain merrily signing new trade deals,
the reality is that many former colonies
and Commonwealth members do not feel
so fondly toward the UK. Some would be
happy to discuss trade opportunities, but
their view of the relationship is more
cautious. Most Commonwealth
members opposed Brexit, as many have
benefited from the UK serving as a point
of entry for them to the EU. As already
seen with India, it is likely that many
Commonwealth countries might seek an
easing of British visa regulations as part of
new trade negotiations, which would run
directly counter to the anti-immigration
sentiment behind Brexit.
Leaders in Commonwealth and other
countries also understand that many
passionate Brexiteers hold onto a sense of
English superiority. For example,
Johnson once publicly characterized
Commonwealth citizens in racist,
disrespectful terms. Fox has said that the
UK "is one of the few countries in the
European Union that does not need to
bury its 20th century history" - a stunning
claim to people in former British colonies
and British-dominated territories. Such
attitudes do not encourage many
countries to develop deeper relationships
with the UK. Britain could have pursued
a more impactful global role as part of the
EU, but the Brexit vote is partly based on
the illusion that the country can regain
some sense of power and pride that feels
more like its old empire.
Source : Arab news
how BrI poses risks to 21st-century geopolitical landscape
Just over five years ago, I was
working in the music events
industry. It was my job to make
sure that bands, equipment and
guests all ended up in the right place,
but that turned out to be far more
difficult than I expected. With
musicians getting lost all over the
English countryside, I realised street
addresses just weren't reliable
enough, and latitude and longitude
coordinates were too long and easy
to mistake. There had to be a better
way.
I sat down with a couple of friends
to tackle this problem, and
what3words was born. We divided
the entire world into 3mx3m
squares, and gave each square a
unique three-word address.
recoil.itself.electrics for example,
identifies the exact front entrance of
the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque. We
had created a location reference
solution that was very, very precise
but also simple, and easy to
remember, use and share with
others. I had solved my problem of
directing musicians to festival fields,
but soon realised that three-word
addresses could have a far greater
impact on the world.
Four billion people don't have a
reliable address for where they live.
They struggle to stake a property
claim, register births, open a bank
account, access health services, run a
Three words to address the world
business or be found in an
emergency. It hampers the growth
and progress of nations and puts
lives at risk. And even in the bestaddressed
parts of the world, street
addresses aren't accurate enough for
services such as on-demand delivery,
and certainly not for a future of
autonomous vehicles and delivery
drones.
What3words offers people a really
simple way to talk about location. It
can currently be used in 26
languages, including Arabic, and is
optimised for speech recognition.
The technology is used by
businesses, governments and NGOs
to operate more efficiently, and by
individuals to find and share places
reliably using the free app for iOS or
Android.
Our system is being used by
ChrIs sheldrICk
humanitarian organisations and
NGOs around the world to give
people access to essential services. In
rural India, for example, Pollinate
Energy uses three-word addresses to
deliver solar lanterns to communities
without electricity. In Mongolia and
Liberia, people can now access
microfinance for the first time -
thanks to having an address to
Four billion people don't have a reliable address for
where they live. They struggle to stake a property claim,
register births, open a bank account, access health
services, run a business or be found in an emergency. It
hampers the growth and progress of nations and puts
lives at risk. And even in the best-addressed parts of the
world, street addresses aren't accurate enough for
services such as on-demand delivery, and certainly not for
a future of autonomous vehicles and delivery drones.
mention on their application form.
In South Africa, NGO Gateway
Health provides vulnerable pregnant
women with their three-word
addresses and has trained the local
ambulance drivers to find places
quickly in an emergency using
what3words. The technology has also
been used by the United Nations,
Infinitum Humanitarian Systems
and the Philippine Red Cross for
faster and more effective response in
a geopolitical concept was first used in an
internal US Department of Defense
report titled "Energy Futures in Asia."
The term is also widely used in India's
geopolitical and foreign-policy narratives
to highlight its concerns over massive BRI
projects across southern Asia.
Through this geopolitical strategy,
Beijing aims to build a network for
Chinese military and commercial
facilities and relationships along with its
sea lines of communication, which
extend from the Chinese mainland to
Port Sudan. The sea lines run through
several major maritime chokepoints such
as the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, the Strait of
Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and the
Lombok Strait as well as other strategic
maritime centers in Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Maldives and Somalia.
All these straits, countries and
chokepoints are crucial for international
energy and trade supply lanes, which
makes them of interest to the US Navy.
Consequently, the Chinese military
presence in these regions will
undoubtedly escalate tensions that could
turn into an unexpected incident, as has
already occurred in the South China
Sea.A 2016 report by the Center for
Strategic and International Studies
judged that none of the Indian Ocean
port projects funded through the BRI
have much hope of financial success.
They were likely prioritized for their
geopolitical utility.
Source : Asia Times
the aftermath of natural disasters.
As well as enabling access to basic
services, we are working with
innovative companies to build the
cities, transport systems and
mobility solutions of the future.
Mercedes-Benz already offers
what3words voice navigation in
several of its vehicles, enabling
drivers to input any precise
destination simply by saying three
words to their car. The technology
has also been integrated into
autonomous shuttles such as IBM's
#AccessibleOlli and modular
vehicles created by Next Future
Transportation in Dubai.
As we move towards increasingly
fluid and flexible transport systems
and the sharing economy grows in
importance, being able to easily
communicate precise location is
essential. What3words has been built
into ride-hailing apps such as Cabify,
a key player in Spanish and
Portuguese markets, and can be used
to locate charging points for electric
vehicles, as well as specific parking
spots for car-sharing projects. By
making these new mobility services
efficient and easy to use, we can cut
carbon emissions and enjoy cleaner,
healthier cities.
Source : Gulf News