Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Print Edition: 19 January 2014
Print Edition: 19 January 2014
Print Edition: 19 January 2014
www.dhakatribune.com
SECOND EDITION
6 | IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING
The students of Rajshahi Simla Government Primary School do their classes under a makeshift tin-shed open structure. Despite its nationalisation last march, the five-storey school building construction has stopped due to interference of Rajshahi Development Authority DHAKA TRIBUNE
Family members suspect that AL activists were involved in the death of Rabbani
Shahana came to know about it over mobile phone but the people in the uncles house were not sure whether the armed people were RAB personnel or not. The people who picked up Rabbani were in plain clothes. So, they might be Awami League criminals, she claimed. According to the local villagers of Nilphamari,local BNP leader Rabbani was also an extortionist. He joined Jamaat nearly three months ago. Five people, including four local
In a separate incident, a Shibir man was killed in a shootout with joint forces in Satkhira yesterday. Satkhira police said Abu Hanif Chhoton, 16, an activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir, was killed as the joint forces were locked in a gun battle in Sadar upazila before the Fazr prayers. Choton was a resident of the Padmasakra area of the upazila, reported our Satkhira correspondent.
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INSIDE
Business
B1 The government plans to boost the countrys moribund bond market to meet the fund requirements for its fiscal deficit.
Sport
13 Bangladesh Cricket Board will sit in a meeting tomorrow with the representatives from all participating boards in ICC WT20 on security arrangement during the mega event.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
'The record of primary education has improved a lot and the government should now shift focus on secondary and higher education'
Prior to his new positing, he was at the Jica headquarters as deputy director general and dealt with the Padma bridge project. The record of primary education has improved a lot and the government should now shift focus on secondary and higher education, Hataeda said. He thinks Bangladesh needs infrastructure and many institutional improvements to seek foreign investments. The new Jica chief said development partnership between Dhaka and Tokyo would continue as Japan considers South Asia as a very important strategic part of Asia. About the strategic location of Bangladesh between India and the Southeast Asia and China, he said supply
Bangladesh Christian Association forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday protesting attacks on minority communities
RAJIB DHAR
The election commission published the gazette notification of poll results on January 8, putting itself under the obligation to display the list of MPs, who will elect the women MPs in parliament if necessary, on February 23. Meanwhile, two Awami League MPs Suranjit Sengupta and Israfil Alam have suggested promulgating an ordinance to change the law and allowing the election of women MPs ahead of the January 29 sitting. But the suggestion drew a lukewarm
response from the prime minister on the ground that such a move might give the impression that the amendment was aimed at making Shirin Sharmin the speaker again, party insiders told the Dhaka Tribune. However, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has reportedly also rejected the idea of amending the law, fearing controversy in the political circle. I do not hanker after posts, she reportedly told one of her party MPs who suggested telling the prime minister to amend the act. l
Upazila polls
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'The newspaper should be more careful in publishing such types of sensitive news so that such kinds of repetition do not take place'
We are sorry for publishing the report titled Indian forces cooperation in the joint forces operation in Satkhira published on the first page of the daily Inqilab on January 16 (Thursday) said the notice. Quoting the editor of the daily, it adds: The newspaper should be more careful in publishing such types of sensitive news so that such kinds of repetition do not take place. In the notice, the authorities also requested the readers not to make any statement which goes against religion, state and abstain from any kind of provocation as the newspaper is always respectful to the constitution and public opinion. In a raid in the Inqilab office, detectives on Thursday arrested Ahmmed Atiq, chief reporter of Inqilab, Rabiulla Ulla Robi, a news editor and Rafiq Mohammad, its deputy chief reporter. A case was filed against publisher, editor, chief news editor and a reporter under the Information and Communication Technology Act 2006 with Wari police station. Reporter Atiq was arrested for the making of the news that claims the presence of Indian army personnel in Bangladesh territory while Robi and Rafiq for helping in the making, said police. l
Enamul Haque, OC of Sadar police station, said the joint forces personnel raided the area on information that Jamaat-Shibir men had been calling upon the people of Padmasakra village using loudspeakers of local mosques to organise and conduct subversive activities. When they were heading towards the village, the Jamaat-Shibir men attacked them at Purba Bhomra, nearly a kilometer away from Padmasakra,the OC claimed. The Jamaat-Shibir men hurled several crude bombs and fired 11 rounds of bullets, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate with around 25, he added.
After the gunfight that lasted for around 15 minutes, they found bullet-hit Chhoton lying on a pool of blood. He was rushed to the Satkhira Sadar Hospital where the on-duty doctors declared him dead, the OC said. He claimed that Chhoton had been involved in a petrol bomb attack on a truck at Bhomra port which left the driver critically burnt. Our correspondent could not reach any of the local Jamaat leaders. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to hold a rally on January 20 in the violence-hit district and visit the families of the victims, who recently came under Jamaat-Shibir attacks. l
yesterdays meeting, said the secretary of the education ministry had suggested the commission to hold the first phase of the upazila polls from February 18-22. EC officials also said the tenures of 221 upazila parishads in 59 districts would expire in March; 36 upazila parishads of 26 districts would lose validity in April and 86 of 35 districts would expire in May. According to the laws, polls must be held within 180 days before the five-year tenures of these local bodies expire. The validity period is determined by the date an upazila parishad holds its first meeting after election. On that count, an upazila parishad that held its first meeting in April, will expire in the same month five years later. The first upazila parishad polls were held in 1985, the second in 1990 and the third on January 22, 2009. l
Pakistan not to
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The following day, Pakistan High Commissioner Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and Bangladesh strongly protested the resolution reminding them that the matter is absolutely Bangladeshs internal affair. The resolution sparked strong protests and widespread condemnations across Bangladesh. l
sentence an organisation to death. In this part of trial, we should have been specific. The punishment can be imposition of a ban on an organisation. If we can specify it in the Act, then it will be more appropriate. Tureen differs with these arguments. We can amend the Act anytime. But it is not necessary now. She added that in 20(2) of the Act, the tribunal shall award sentence of death or other punishment proportionate to the gravity of the crime as appears to the tribunal to be just and proper. So the tribunal can give any punishment that they want, she said. However, Investigator Motiur said: By any other punishment is not proper for
the organisation. So if possible, the government can change this part [of the Act]. In August this year, the High Court has declared Jamaats registration with the Election Commission illegal since its party constitution was found to be contradictory with the countrys constitution and election rules. In many verdicts, the tribunals included some observations about Jamaat. It even suggested that the government bar anti-liberation people from holding key positions in any government, non-government and socio-political organisations. A tribunal in the verdict against Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam said: In the interest of establishing a democratic as well as non-communal Bangladesh, we
observe that no such anti-liberation people should be allowed to sit at the helm of executives of the government, social or political parties, including government and non-government organisations. Meanwhile, sentencing al-Badr leaders Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan to death for abducting and killing 18 intellectuals, the tribunal said: It was Jamaat-e-Islami and its creations, fanatic groups like al-Badr, razakar, al-Shams, and the Peace Committee, who took a stance to save Pakistan and Islam even if it required the obliteration of pro-liberation nation. The two tribunals made almost similar observations in the cases against other top Jamaat leaders Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Muhammad Kamaruzzaman. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Middle and low income groups line up in front of the TCBs Truck Sale to buy rice at an affordable price due to its hike on the market
Members of Rukhe Darao Bangladesh talks to the victims of communal attack during a visit to Karnai in Dinajpur yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Experts warn of desertification, want project to be scrapped n Mohammad Atiqur Rahman He said the decision was taken by Public Interest Litigation. n Abu Bakar Siddique Later In 2012, Indian government The newly-opened Mugda General India unilaterally, without consulting,
n RU Correspondent
Students of Rajshahi University yesterday demonstrated against an initiative of the authorities to introduce evening masters courses. About a hundred students under the banner of Progressive Students Alliance, formed by mainly left-wing student political parties, brought out a protest procession in the morning and demanded a revocation of the decision. The university recently initiated a move to introduce evening masters courses at seven departments under the social science faculty, in addition to courses now underway at the BBA and law faculties. The students, however, alleged that the move was intended to increase the profit margins of teachers as well as the administration rather than to enhance the scope of education. Introduction of such private courses at a public university is in contradiction to its guiding principles, they argued, saying students enrolling for those courses would have pay amounts unbefitting a government-sponsored seat of learning. They also urged the authorities to stop the existing evening MBA and law courses and threatened tougher movement if their demands were not met. The university first took the initiative to introduce evening courses in 2010 but backed off following strong opposition from the students. l
WEATHER
Ganajagaran Mancha brings out a procession in the capitals Shahbagh yesterday to protest against communal violence in Bogra and bomb attack on its road march
RAJIB DHAR
n DU Correspondent
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, information adviser to the prime minister, yesterday said the Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu), once the heart of the countrys student politics, would be rejuvenated. Many noted politicians of our country have emerged from Ducsu in the past. If it is reactivated, more intelligent politicians would come out, he said. He made the remark while addressing a cultural program at the Surjosen
Hall of the university last evening. Ducsu last saw election in 1990. The central students body of the university which played crucial roles during the struggle for liberation and the antiErshad movement in the 1980s, has remained inactive for two decades. Addressing the present students, DU Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, who was also present at the programme, said: You have to go ahead with the spirit of the Liberation War and contribute to the overall development of the country. l
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 5:24am 6:42am 12:09am 3:59pm 5:35pm 6:54pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
The Construction Workers Union Bangladesh forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday to fulfil its 12-point demand including safe working environment and compensation for the injured and the dead workers RAJIB DHAR
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
A road-crosser jumps over the iron railings in the capitals Newmarket area without using the footbridge nearby. The picture was taken yesterday
FOCUS BANGLA
News in Brief
Police constable injured
A police constable was injured by his own shotgun during a drive in Harindia- Mamunshia area under Kotchandpur upazila, Jhenaidah yesterday. The injured was Constable Ripon, serving at Koctchandpur police station. Kotchanpur police station Officer-in-Charge Shahjahan Ali said Ripon took part in a drive with the joint forces against some miscreants who set fire on Harindia-Mamunshia primary school on the general elections day on January 5. Ripon was admitted to Jessore Medical College Hospital. Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah
The little physicians check up on the students of Sherpur Government Model Primary School yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
A minor boy was killed in a road accident in Gopinathpur area of Maguras Mohammadpur upazila on Friday afternoon. The victim Liton, 10, was hailed from Zashpur village of the upazila. Officer-in-Charge Manirul Islam of Mohammadpur police station said a speeding truck ran over Liton around 4pm when he was returning from a relatives house at Rajapur village riding a bicycle, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to Mohammadpur Upazila Health Complex where duty doctors declared him dead. The OC said the truck was seized but its driver managed to flee. UNB
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh arrested a man along with fire arms from Bahalabari area in Shibganj upazila on Friday. The arrestee, Shamim, 27, was hailed from Rashia village of the upazila. Commander Lt Col Manjurul Alam of BGB Battalion 9 said a team of BGB men had stopped an auto-rickshaw on the Chapainawabganj-Sonamasjid port highway around 4pm and recovered the two pistols, four magazines and 14 rounds of bullet searching the auto-rickshaw. Later, the BGB members arrested the auto-rickshaw passenger Shamim. A case was filed in this connection. UNB
Police recovered the body of a teenage boy from a marsh at Radhanagar Chakpara in Sirajganjs Salanga upazila on Friday afternoon. The dead was Zahidul Islam, 12. Locals saw the body of Zahidul floating in a marsh at the village around 4pm and informed police. Rashidul Islam Biswas, officer-in-charge of Salanga police station, said miscreants might have killed Zahidul at some time on Thursday night and dumped the body there. A case was filed in this connection. UNB
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Feature
Impossible is nothing
How Bangladeshs world record for the largest human flag almost didnt happen
n Rumana Habib
ou could not possibly have escaped hearing the news not if you have watched TV, read the papers, or logged onto Facebook in the past month that Bangladesh broke the record for the worlds largest human flag. The Officially Amazing certificate arrived from Guinness on Thursday, signed and sealed. But the most remarkable feat is that the whole grand affair was put together in just over a week nine days of unceasing work and unflappable determination. Organiser Robi Axiata, in partnership with the army, accomplished much more than just mustering 31,000 volunteers in the middle of a blockade, a feat in itself. They also unveiled an original patriotic song, the rousing Raise One Flag sung by Sabina Yasmin and Ayub Bacchu, along with a music video recorded a mere two days before. Immediately after the flag formation, they staged a music concert featuring 16 Bangladeshi superstars including Sabina and Ayub. It was the most watched live event in Bangladeshi television history. Many were moved by the event. Some cynics brushed it off as a marketing ploy. Yet no one could deny it was an uplifting Victory Day moment, com-
ing as it did amid months of bloody hartals and divisive political strife. Citizens were anxious about what the usually celebratory day would bring this year. The mood became somber still when the government cancelled the annual Victory Day parade. But that also meant the coveted Army Parade Ground was available, and on the only day in December that the warring factions were certain to keep the peace. The country needed a single cause to rally around, and Robi knew it. It was officially recognised as a national event, but the organiser insisted on keeping it apolitical. The event reflected their brand motto: When we unite, Bangladesh shines. Robis almost superhuman efforts were doubtless driven by the knowledge that they might never again get such a golden opportunity to win hearts all over Bangladesh. After a successful campaign, people usually tell me: Well done, said Toffael Rashid, executive vice president of marketing for Robi, and the leading champion of the project. This time people said: Thank you.
Near miss
all but decided to call it off. Back in August, when Zahed Hossain proposed this idea, the company loved it and agreed to back it. Zahed, Robis vice president of market operations buying, is that rare combination of financial wizard and creative marketing genius. At his previous job at Airtel, he was the brains behind several hugely successful campaigns, like when Manik Mia Avenue was painted with traditional alpana for Pohela Boishak. He went searching for a world record that Bangladesh could break by using its greatest resource: its people. When a Google search yielded the human flag record, held by none other than Pakistan, he knew he had struck gold. Everyone who heard his one-line pitch, inside and outside the company, immediately wanted to be involved. But logistically, it was a no-go. They could not get a venue in December to accommodate the massive crowd. More importantly, with the mounting violence on the streets, the potential risk to the safety of their volunteers, predominantly school children, left them queasy. Everything changed ten days before the event, when they managed to get an audience with the army. Brigadier General Md Abedin was a believer as soon as he heard the idea.
Zahed related: He listened to our concerns and simply said: Well help you. Abedin agreed to partner with them right then and there. And, like a guardian angel, he swiftly solved their three main problems. Venue? Check. Security? Covered. Participants? He told them they could bring students from the local cantonment schools to stand alongside the children from civilian schools.
Zahed Hossain
COURTESY
Almost every national newspaper, both Bangla and English, carried the story on the front page the next day COURTESY
Toffael Rashid
COURTESY
This is the official photograph of the completed flag, taken by Shahidul Alam, from a helicopter provided by the army. Organiser Toffael Rashid says: It was a real thrill that an iconic photo of an iconic event would be taken by an iconic photographer COURTESY
Once the stars had aligned in their favor, the team had not a minute to lose. Delivering the event in nine days was a bigger achievement than breaking the world record, honestly. I doubt many other countries could do it, said Toffael Rashid. Why was Bangladesh able pull it off ? Toffael replies without missing a beat: Because of the resourcefulness and hardworking nature of our people, and their patriotism. Nowhere was that better reflected than Robis own team, who worked 20-hour days to make their ambitious plans a reality. People used every last contact, sweated their blackbooks to the last degree, and called in every favour they had, Toffael said. Why? I asked. He said: I think they knew being a part of this was an experience they would never forget. Zahed insists that Toffael was the rock of the team. He believed in this project. He believed in all of us. Without him, we never could have done it. It was a world-class team effort. The event had a personal significance for everyone who participated,
Toffael said. For him, it was a way of connecting with his late father, Md Abdur Rashid, a former diplomat who was with the Pakistan High Commission in London until 1970, then resigned to raise funds in support of the Liberation War. The formation of the flag took a few attempts, building suspense and anticipation in the crowd. When at last all 27,117 volunteers managed to hold their pieces steady for the full five minutes required by Guiness regulations, it was a dramatic moment. People were crying, Zahed said. Our team. The kids holding up their pieces of the flag. I dont know if it was the theme song, love for the motherland, or the inspiring speech the MC made, but it was emotional. The reserved Zahed admits, when I press him: Yes. I cried too. Toffael considers this easily the greatest achievement of my career. That career has included orchestrating massive campaigns all over the world, and winning a Cannes Lion, known as the Oscar of advertising. He believes this campaign has all the hallmarks of another Cannes Lion winner. This is an honour Bangladesh has never achieved before. So perhaps we have another record-setting accomplishment to look forward to this summer. l
n James Saville
ith his shoulder length hair and thick eyelashes, Yuree Mak looks like the lead singer of a metal band. He is in fact a world famous Bangladeshi martial artist, and a bona fide world record holder to boot. The first time I call Yurees PR to arrange an interview, Im told: Sadly youve just missed him. Hes gone to Savar. Hes training 1000 Ansar paramilitaries in unarmed combat.
Fight club
Named after the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Dr Mak runs Rangers, a company that provides self-defence training to various government agencies. In addition to the Bangladesh security forces, Rangers client list includes a number of well-known western intelligence agencies, the details of which are strictly hush hush. Exciting as such work sounds to me,
Yuree concedes that its not really his passion: I do security training as a proffession, but my real passion is martial arts. Ive always wanted to be a Grand Master and to teach my own system. This helps explain why, despite attending Cadet College and wowing senior officers and teachers with his exceptional physical skills, Yuree could not be cajoled into joining the army. I remember the army recruitment officer delayed the selection board especially for me after I missed the application deadline but I still didnt want to join. I have huge respect for the military, but I just wouldnt have liked being so restricted. I knew if I joined up I would spend my days trapped in the cantonment.
A quick search on YouTube pulls up videos of Yuree demonstrating his famous shin kick. In 2010, Yuree set a new world re-
cord when he broke two baseball bats in a single go at a martial arts convention in the UK. Dissatisfied, Yuree promptly broke his own world record in 2012, when he graduated to breaking three bats in one go. After setting the world record at the UKs National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, Yuree was the subject of a Discovery Channel programme and was featured in Ripleys Believe it or Not. Despite being his claim to fame, Yuree considers the world record breaking a means to a more important end: Reviving the South Asian heritage of martial arts. Yuree realised early on that if he was to become a Grand Master, with his own martial arts system that people would follow, he had to make a name for himself. Some novelty value was needed for the Yuree Mak brand. I realised that all the Grand Masters with followings had some special skill that had made them well known. There are people who can punch through concrete, lift up cars, take incredible weights on their necks its all been done. He settled on the shins, thinking this was an area nobody had yet fully exploited. I already knew about this training technique that allows you to strengthen your bones. When you subject a
bone to a blunt force, you get microfractures. In response, as it heals, the body starts to lay down extra bone matter, eventually thickening and hardening the bone. I knew of some people doing this in Myanmar and Thailand, but they would do it intensively, building up the bone in a very short time. The problem is they mostly get arthritis by the time theyre 30. So Yuree adopted a slow and careful approach. It was fifteen years before I tried to break a single baseball bat. Each attempt is fraught with danger. While micro-fractures are encouraged, a clean break would be career ending. Once the leg breaks properly it never heals completely, certainly not enough to break baseball bats ever again. The strategy paid off.
Having firmly established himself as a world class act, Yuree is now most concerned with developing his own system, Butthan. The system is the noble art of enlightenment and stopping fights, and it has its roots in the rich Southeast Asian tradition from Myanmar and India, the lost history of which is another passion of Yurees. Yuree even went to the Shaolin Monastery in Chinas Henan
Yuree fires an Uzi 9mm sub-machinegun while undergoing military training by Latvian special forces COURTESY province in order to understand the influence of the Indian martial arts on the better preserved Chinese variants. At Shaolin, Yuree found a giant statue of Bodhidharma, the Indian Buddhist monk, who is credited with imparting martial arts to his Chinese counterparts for the first time, sometime during the fifth or sixth century AD. If further proof of the South Asian roots of martial arts were required, the walls inside the temple at Shaolin are adorned with murals featuring dark monks instructing the locals in grappling techniques. its history has not been preserved, and the fact that martial arts are often seen negatively, particularly here in Bangladesh. I often get criticism from people who think that Bhuttan is teaching violence to young people. They do not understand that the martial arts are about discipline, personal development and self-control. The other thing that irritates him is the insinuation that Bangalis are weak, and unsuited to compete in physically arduous pursuits. Too many people in Bangladesh think doing extraordinary things is not for us. I want to teach them that they can do it. Young Bangladeshis can break world records. l
Despite this heritage of martial arts in the subcontinent, Yuree laments that
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Long Form
RAJIB DHAR
RAJIB DHAR
Trying times: The deserted Moinul Road house where the Zia family used to live; marooned roads, devoid of BNP activists on the day of the march for democracy a foiled BNP programme; senior BNP leaders, being arrested and taken to jail (clockwise) some of their leaders for war crimes, came to the forefront. Jamaat, often blamed for committing war crimes as a party in 1971, hardly spent its energies for issues that cover the greater interest of the 18-party opposition alliance. Although Jamaat was the proponent of the caretaker government system in the 1980s, this time around, the party hardly ever raised a strong voice regarding the caretaker government issue. decision. They also believe that things would have been different had the experienced leaders been around her during that phone conversation. Even before the January 5 election, the air inside the party was such that, if the top leaders came out on the streets, there were big chances that the election could be made to look even more controversial not only in the eyes of the countrymen, but also the international community.
Simultaneously, the BNP-led four-party alliance became the 18-party alliance, incorporating some political parties that existed only on papers. The expansion of the alliance was largely seen as an attempt to gain a psychological upper hand because the previous four-party alliance sounded feeble compared to the ruling 14-party combine. Needless to mention though, the ruling combine too, consisted of a number of parties that existed only on papers. In 2012, to rejuvenate the grassroots and mobilise public opinion, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia initiated programmes such as road-marches. Those programmes were quite successful because many identified themselves with the crisis that was created with the annulment of the caretaker system and the BNP ranks starting from the grassroots to the top brass participated in those programmes spontaneously. Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia visited the United Kingdom and the United States of America to strengthen international ties. But her missions ultimately failed as she could not hold any high-profile
It was Khaleda herself, who closed the doors that she had earlier opened through her tour to India and the high-profile meetings, as she decided not to meet the Dhaka-touring Indian President
BNP eventually failed to build any massive momentum in favour of that movement against the eviction of Khaleda Zia from her cantonment residence. One reason could be that the party had to keep the movement on hold because of the Eid holidays. That break in the middle of a movement surrounding an emotional issue, eventually cooled it down. In 2010, when the government initiated a move to annul the caretaker system, instead of going to parliament or the other forums to raise their voice in favour of the system, the party waged programmes like hartals, and staged series of demonstrations and hunger strikes to resist the move.
meeting during the two-week long tour to the west. Later, Khaleda also visited India, introducing a new chapter to BNPs diplomacy by meeting top Indian politicians including its president, prime minister, and the opposition leader. However, later it was Khaleda herself, who closed the doors that she had earlier opened as she decided not to meet the Dhaka-touring Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, citing security concerns during a hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component of the opposition combine. The BNPs unforced silence over the war crimes trials in which most of the top leaders of Jamaat were en-
closed also worked against its favour, especially considering the huge wave of mass opinion for bringing the criminals of 1971 to justice. Jamaat waged massive and violent movements around the country, protesting the verdicts against some of its top leaders on war crimes charges. BNP remained silent, sometimes going as far as supporting these activities indirectly. Extending support to the Hefazat-e-Islam was another decision that eventually backfired. Although Hefazat claimed that it was not a political organisation, the demands that it placed were mostly political. Moreover, there was quite a bit of public support too, especially because the highly sensitive issue of religion was projected. Some pro-BNP intellectuals, mainly a former left-leaning individual, on the other hand, pursued Khaleda Zia to back the Hefazat, in an attempt to cash in on the public support and the Qawmi madrassa-based manpower that the Chittagong-based outfit amassed. The violence centring Hefazats Motijheel rally reinforced the international communitys apprehensions about the BNP Jamaat combines links to militancy. Although Khaleda called upon her party men and the residents of Dhaka to give all-out support to Hefazat, her calls remained largely unheeded. Later on, whenever the BNP-led 18-party alliance waged streets protests, the central leaders rarely took to the street, especially those from the Dhaka city unit, giving rise to questions about the movement. In the absence of the BNP leaders, Jamaat leaders and activists ran rampant violently ravaging the streets, and inducing massive criticisms inside and outside the country as many were burnt alive, scores were injured, and the countrys economy was brought to a virtual standstill. Refusing to take the blame for the loss of lives and properties in the street violence, many BNP men said, Jamaat men could not have gone haywire had the senior BNP leaders, too, taken too the street. Following the arrest of a number of party stalwarts, many others decided to go underground, and call action programmes through video messages, prompting people to label BNPs methods: Taliban style. The
continuous absence of senior leaders on the streets badly demoralised the grassroots in carrying on with the movement. In addition, over dependence on foreign diplomats, and failures of the seasoned leaders in making the right decisions have not only organisationally weakened the BNP, but also led to a clear miscarriage of the much-hyped March for Democracy in late December last year, as a last resort to resist the January 5 national elections. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has repeatedly called upon the party leaders, activists and the residents of Dhaka to take to the streets for ousting an illegal government, resisting the farcical polls, and compelling the government to bring back the provision for a non-partisan polls-time government. However, neither the Dhaka residents nor the party leaders and activists heeded the party chiefs call. Opposition leaders and activists claimed that they could not come out on the capitals streets because of the hard-line measures taken the law enforcers, and the armed attacks on them by the ruling party men. The fact that party leaders and activists did not even try to break the shackles was unfortunate because it was the very same BNP that ruled the country twice since the end of quasi-military rule, and the dawn of democracy in 1991. Why then, the same BNP that has always enjoyed huge public support, projected through the triumphs in the five city corporation polls, failed to cash in on anti-government public sentiment? Various party ranks, including the grassroots, have been looking for an answer to that question off late. Firstly, the party relied heavily on foreign diplomats for resolving the prevailing political crisis, and paid little attention to getting organisationally strong. The leaders, who regularly maintain contact with the diplomats, have been lacking in political foresight. Most of the seasoned leaders remained absent in the meetings with diplomats, and as a result, their opinions and suggestions were hardly ever even considered. Secondly, BNPs key ally Jamaat-e-lslami waged violent movements only when issues were directly linked to them, such as the trial of
Party leaders believe that Khaleda Zias refusal to the prime ministers invitation for talks, was a suicidal decision
However, whenever the International Crimes Tribunal pronounced a verdict against any of its leaders, strong presence of Jamaat leaders and activists could be seen on the streets. After the death verdict against Delawar Hossain Syedee, and the execution of Abdul Quader Molla, many people were burnt alive, and scores were injured in arson attacks. By and large, Jamaat have been blamed for most of these attacks and the subsequent deaths. The fact that these attacks and deaths continued during the oppositions blockades, has heavily tarnished BNPs image, and led to international apprehension that a rise of militancy was imminent in Bangladesh if the BNPJamaat-led combine returned to power. Thirdly, the dedicated and experienced leaders were mostly ignored in the party decision-making process. Some former bureaucrats and like-minded intellectuals put up a fence around party Chief Khaleda Zia, silencing the voices of the seasoned leaders, who have often expressed their reservations about giving too much importance to what these non-political people said. There had been many cases where career politicians like Tariqul Islam and Moudud Ahmed were side-lined. Party leaders believe that Khaleda Zias refusal to the prime ministers invitation for talks, was a suicidal
But the leaders failed to triumph over their fear of arrest amid a strong government crackdown and kept themselves in their self-imposed exiles, and the much hyped movement for resisting the polls ended up in thoughtless violence. The arson attacks on the educational institutions used as polling centres might have scared away the voters, but the textbooks charred and schools burnt to ashes eventually worked against the partys favour. Although some top leaders have tried to give explanations otherwise, the recent conflicting statements, issued by party Chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman regarding the dialogue issue with the government, have only added colour to the picture that coordination among the partys top ranks was badly dwindling. The March for Democracy was the last big chance for BNP, because the leaders and activists from the grassroots, all became charged up at the prospect of the wonders that such a major political showdown could have done. Unfortunately, the party let the opportunity go begging due to their over-reliance on diplomacy instead of taking to the streets and staging it succesfully. l Mohammad Al-Masum Molla is a political reporter at the Dhaka Tribune.
8
n Reuters
President Barack Obama has said he has banned US eavesdropping on the leaders of allied countries but stopped short of saying spies would stop collecting data on the bulk collection of American citizens phone data. Obama announced a series of reforms on Friday, which were triggered by Edward Snowdens revelations about the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013. In a speech, Obama took steps to reassure Americans and foreigners that the United States would take privacy concerns into account in the future. Former US spy contractor Snowden made damaging revelations about the sweeping monitoring activities of the NSA, sparking national and international concerns over personal privacy. The reforms Im proposing today should give the American people greater confidence that their rights are being protected, even as our intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain the tools they need to keep us safe, he said. Obama promised that the US would not eavesdrop on the heads of state or government of close friends and allies to the US, which a senior administration official said would apply to dozens of leaders. The step was designed to smooth frayed relations between, for example, the US and Germany after reports surfaced last year that the NSA had monitored the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff postponed a state visit to Washington to protest against US surveillance tactics. The leaders of our close friends and
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
US President Barack Obamaspeaks about the NSA surveillance techniques in Washington DC allies deserve to know that if I want to learn what they think about an issue, I will pick up the phone and call them, rather than turning to surveillance, Obama said. He argued that the US is held to a higher standard than other nations. No one expects China to have an open debate about their surveillance programmes, or Russia to take the privacy concerns of citizens into account, he said. However, he added that the US has a special obligation to re-examine its intelligence capabilities because of the potential for trampling on civil liberties. The steps Obama put in motion are aimed at adapting regulations to keep up with rapid changes in surveillance technology that permits the NSA to monitor private communications globally. Among the list of reforms was a call on Congress to establish an outside panel of privacy advocates for the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court that considers terrorism cases.
AFP
The former chief judge of the FISA court had opposed such a step. While the speech was designed to address concerns that US surveillance has gone too far, Obamas measures were seen to be relatively limited. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Sabrina Siddiqui, political reporter of the Huffington Post, said the changes that Obama announced is a big vindication of Snowden. The proposal would not have come about without the Snowden expose, Siddiqui said. l
A pro-European activist wearing the Ukrainian flag as a cape raises his symbolically-handcuffed hands during an opposition rally outside the presidents office in Kiev AFP
Ex-pope defrocked Ukraine opposition eyes new rally hundreds for sex abuse n
AFP, Kiev
frocked in 2008 and 2009. It was the first compilation of the number of priests forcibly removed for sex abuse by the Vaticans in-house procedures, and a canon lawyer said the real figure is likely far higher, since the numbers do not include sentences meted out by diocesan courts. The surge started a year after the Vatican decided to double the statute of limitations on the crime, enabling victims who were in their late 30s to report abuse committed against them when they were children. l
Pro-EU Ukrainians were reinforcing barricades in Kiev on Saturday ahead of a new mass rally, defying President Viktor Yanukovych after he approved strict curbs on protests that caused an outcry in the West. In a fresh sign of mounting tensions, the president dismissed his chief of staff and will skip this weeks economic forum in Davos. Yanukovych, who has been wrestling with nearly two months of opposition protests, signed off Friday on tough new laws introducing jail time and corrective labour for those occupying public buildings or disseminating
slander on the Internet. But the tough curbs are expected reinvigorate the pro-EU opposition movement, which is pressing ahead with plans to hold a fresh rally Sunday, reinforcing their barricades in the centre of the capital with barbed wire. Critics say Yanukovych has followed in the footsteps of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who pushed through similar legislation after returning to the Kremlin for a third term in 2012 following huge protests against his decade-long rule. There is only one question left after newly signed laws quo vadis (where are you going) Mr President? EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan
Fule asked Yanukovych on Twitter. The United States and European Union have called the laws anti-democratic, while the opposition accused the president of seeking to install a dictatorship. At the height of the protests last month hundreds of thousands took to the streets after Yanukovychs decision to ditch political and trade agreements with the EU under pressure from Russia. The rallies have since dwindled, but the opposition movement -- led by three political leaders including former world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko -- maintains a protest camp on Kievs central Independence Square. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
n Agencies
A pre-dawn stampede killed 18 people as tens of thousands of people gathered to mourn the death of a Muslim spiritual leader in Mumbai. At least 50 other people were injured in the stampede early on Saturday when mourners thronged the home of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community The crowd pressed against the gates of the house at the time, television channel CNN IBN said, citing police. Stampedes frequently happen at religious sites in India but they are not common in big cities such as Mumbai where there is often a greater police presence to monitor the flow of people. The citys police commissioner, Satya Pal Singh, said the force did not expect so many mourners and his officers were badly outnumbered by the crowd. We didnt think the crowd would be so great, Singh said. Also, its an emotional occasion when police cannot take harsh measures to push back the crowd. Some of those attending the event said there were no security arrangements outside the late leaders residence.
9
Pakistani Taliban kills TV station staff n Agencies
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the killing of three employees of a local private television network in Karachi. The claim was made after motorcycle-borne assailants shot a technician, guard and driver working for Express TV on Friday, according to the TV station. A spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a statement on Friday, accused Express TV and other media outlets of supporting the government in what it called a war against the group. Sajjad Mohmand, in a phone call to Reuters news agency, said: We will continue to target the media if they do not stop propaganda against Islam and the Taliban. Mohammad Akhtar, a senior police officer, said the Express TV workers were targeted by assailants while sitting in their vehicle on Friday. The van was parked near Board Office signal. The staffers were sitting inside van for their work. Four men came on two motorcycles; they extended their hands inside the window and opened fire, he said. Shooters riding on motorcycles came and opened fire on them. They [the shooters] used a 32bore gun with silencer in the attack. Ehsanullah Ehsan, a former TTP spokesman, told Express TV it had been attacked because the group considered its coverage biased and that it would continue to attack journalists they disagreed with. Channels should give coverage to our ideology. Otherwise we will continue attacking the media, Express TV quoted him as saying. The TV station was attacked twice last year, with the TTP claiming responsibility for one of the incidents. In a separate incident in Karachi, also on Friday, unknown assailants killed the provincial chief of a Sunni party along with his driver and guard. Mufti Usman Yar Khan, Sindh chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Samiul Haq (JUI S), was passing through Karachis Shara-e-Faisal road when the attackers fired and killed him, his guard and the driver. l
REUTERS
Indian Bohra Muslims take part in the funeral procession of their spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin in Mumbai
AFP
Cars are seen on top of each after being hit by flood waters in Manado
AFP
n AFP, Jakarta
The death toll in days of floods and landslides in Indonesia has climbed to 23, an official said Saturday, as torrential rain pounded the capital. Families in Jakarta neighbourhoods waded through murky chest-high flood waters, clutching their belongings, while others were ferried to safety in rubber dinghies, local TV stations showed. Five people have died in Jakarta so far from drowning or electrocution in
the floods, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nurgoho told AFP. More than 4,300 people in the capital have been displaced by the floods, which also worsened the citys notorious traffic jams. Meanwhile the death toll rose to 18 late Friday in the northern part of Indonesias Sulawesi island, which has suffered flash floods and landslides. Two people there are still missing, Nugroho said.
The Sulawesi deluge, which ripped more than 100 homes from their foundations, is receding as the downpour there eases, Nugroho said, adding that three-quarters of the 40,000 people initially displaced there have returned to their homes. Indonesia is regularly hit with deadly floods and landslides during its wet season, which lasts for around six months. Environmentalists blame logging and a failure to reforest denuded land for exacerbating the floods. l
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LETTER OF THE DAY
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the Editor
January 9 BD sets record in free textbook distribution said Nurul Isam Nahid, yet the situation reflects otherwise. I have been working for the development of primary and secondary education for about 20 years. I have yet to receive English textbooks needed for classes in rural schools; rather, students have brought their own guides and notebooks. And many town schools face a similar situation. Students as well as teachers depend on the guides and notebooks for other subjects as well. Mawduda Hasnin
The government should not punish newspapers for disseminating information or points of view with which they disagree
Be Heard
Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune
January 10 Mr Adam, I want to remind you, with respect of course, that those opposition leaders were detained for their alleged involvement in post-polls violence, a fact that corresponds with this statement you made: Attacks on Hindu communities, allegedly by supporters of the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami! Another thing I would like to point at that is you are advocating for those who are taken but still alive. Unfortunately, you forgot to talk about those who were killed!! Jakaria Bulbul
A new and proper investigation into this attack must be carried out as a matter of priority
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preferred the option of the safety of their homes. They were waiting, like a maiden in medieval times, to be won over by two knights dueling for her. So the BNP was basically waging a war against a formidably stronger and more resilient force, which it failed to defeat in the end. The result caused much chagrin to those who were rooting for the battered political party.
An innings defeat?
n Muhammad Eusha
BNP chief Khaleda Zias followers could not overpower the administration and the police to stop the holding of elections despite enforcing hartals and blockades. Showing strength of what a former diplomat called wild imagination, Sheikh Hasinas team managed to secure victory without any contest in 153 constituencies, and with the presence of (apparently) 40% of voters on a troubled election day.
cotted the ballot, but simultaneously refrained from joining the opposition movement. They were not beneficiaries of either the AL or the BNP regime, nor were they party to these political games in any way. The citizens Hasina is supposed to govern have not given her the mandate to do so. The people Khaleda could have banked on as a support base have not found
What happened to the masses who broadly remained spectators during the electoral process? What went wrong for the rival parties?
Who cares if others believe the turnout was hardly 10% or less? After all, what matters most in politics is power, and the ends of all acts justify their means. Yet, I still wonder who won and who lost. What happened to the masses who broadly remained spectators during the electoral process? What went wrong for the rival parties? From the controversial elections, Khaleda gained the stigmatisation of the AL, but Hasina consolidated all-important power. However, the former lost tactically, and the latter morally. Commonly, they failed to win the hearts of the people, especially the rising middle class who clearly boy-
much appeal in the modes of demonstration that were seen, despite the need for a non-party government for holding free, fair, credible, and inclusive polls. How will we then explain the loss of 22 lives in polls-related violence alone? I see three causes of deaths readiness among some opposition elements to end lives, the use of force by the government, and sabotage by unidentified quarters. Whatever the reasons, many embraced for loss of life as a consequence. Nobody in the rival camps is being sympathetic towards the victims and their families, showing a cruel
indifference. So the people other than the ones involved with the AL and the BNP have preferred deliberate isolation from the current political process. The AL and the BNP count on their core support coming mainly from their beneficiaries to pursue their respective political goals. Fortunately or unfortunately, most people who have voted for the two parties since 1991 are not ready to take risks for the leaders. If the number of beneficiaries of the two parties in the past two decades stands, let us suppose, at 3 million, the number of those who have tried to change their fates by their own enterprising efforts would be several times higher. This silent majority, as Hasina is presumably assured, has not at least sided with the BNP. Hasina, as prime minister, is not accountable to them either. Khaledas success in seeing the majoritys absence in the January 5 election is yet to be transformed into a popular demonstration. The enlightened and conscientious segments of society have been watching the situation evolving every day. Cynics may term this isolation as an opportunistic stance. A meek civil society voice would allow bad governance from a regime suffering from a legitimacy crisis. How can we expect democracy to return from exile unless there is social activism for upholding civil rights? l Khawaza Main Uddin is a journalist.
ne feels that we have arrived at a phase of the political boxing match between the AL and the BNP where the latter has been vanquished thoroughly by the former. The defeat has been comprehensive, as the defeated party failed to achieve even a bit of what they probably dreamt of. The passive disapprobation of the US and the EU countries of the bizarre polls held not long ago does not effectively pose a significant threat to the present government, as notwithstanding a little disquietude, things remain much the same. Russia, China, and some other countries have expressed their feelings toward the AL-led government, but it would be reasonable to infer that this approval is little influenced by their sincere approbation of the tenacity shown by the ruling party, but that these nations share a clear antagonistic sentiment towards the US, and would like to say A if the latter says B without exception, just for the sake of creating tension by dissension. All the things the BNP bombarded their enemies with, missed the AL and hit the public instead. Weeks of street terrorism earned Khaleda Zia nothing but the discontent of people who had practically reached the end of their patience by the time the ineffectual protest was abandoned, at least temporarily. Why did the BNP fail? There are many interweaved reasons behind their unsuccessful movement. The first is that they were not able to create the amount of unrest they were hoping for. Indeed, the former opposition party leader wanted to resort to the method of creating anarchy, and thus make the ruling party unable to take effective action. The reality turned out to be quite different and more difficult. The law enforcers stayed loyal to the government, and the BNP was not able to make the situation difficult enough for the AL. All government institutions and ministries were respectful to the authorities, and a remarkable level of obedience was shown by all. The AL had reasonable control over the media as well. The BNP was expecting the common people to help in ousting the government. That did not happen. People refused to take an active part in this situation, and
If this were a game of cricket, the magnitude of the BNPs loss could be considered an innings defeat
The AL can be given a perfect score in assessment of their handling of these affairs. The party was able to thwart all efforts of subversion and instigations of anarchy. Not only was the belligerence of the BNP countered shrewdly, the ruling party was able to foil the Hefazat movement as well. The proposed Dhaka March was nipped in the bud with unprecedented tactical prowess. The elections took place as forecasted by the government, and the BNP could not do much to stop it. In a nutshell, no strategy the BNP applied produced desired effects, and the AL was able to hold fast on to its course. If this were a game of cricket, the magnitude of the BNPs loss could be considered the equivalent of an innings defeat. It seems the only option for the BNP now is to retreat. It has lost the battle, and should now spend time in introspection. It is silly to ask whether the more righteous of the two belligerents have achieved victory or not. The answer to that question is known to all who have even the faintest light in their hearts to recognise the truth and reject falsehood. Clearly, the party with superior intellect, strength, and tactical ability emerged as the victorious. l Muhammad Eusha is an HVAC specialist and a DT columnist.
ow the election turned out is now a matter of the past. There might be debates regarding its nature. However, it is of little use to cry over spilt milk or stay aloof from reality. The result has been that Sheikh Hasina has again taken up the helm of the country. The opposition, led by the BNP and misled by Jamaat, miserably failed to motivate the common people to rally behind them. Hence, the hope of the BNP-led alliance to regain power was, it seems, burnt down along with those in the burn units of hospitals. Not only did some hapless people become victims of the violence, the BNP has turned out to be the biggest victim. Whether or not pro-BNP people were behind all the atrocities such as petrol bomb attacks, and acts of arson, it is they who will have to take the responsibility. Unfortunately for the pro-violence theorists, the pro-violence doctrine has not only fallen flat, but has also gone down the drain along with the theories. However, the BNPs decision to call off the blockades was a very good and
sensible decision. The more they endear themselves to the people rather than frighten them away, the more will they be able to revive their politics. Yes, Hasina again has so many parliament members under her belt that no vested quarter in her party will be able to stand in the way if she wants to deliver on the promises she has made to the nation.
Good governance is the ultimate goal. If a government can deliver that, the question of its legitimacy is bound to take the back seat
She again commands such an overwhelming majority, that no quarter in her party will dare sabotage her good intentions in the fear of being politically destroyed for good. She has retained the right to impose draconian rule in
her party so that no one from her party can do wrong in her name. The common people expected a cabinet from Hasina which would comprise of people of good image and clean track records, and this has nearly been the case this time around. However, if control is exercised in good faith, there will always remain room for rectifications. She is again in a position to send down instant orders if any of her cabinet ministers are found inadequate. She does not have to worry about direct information. She can easily draw on the reports of the objective media for this very purpose. If she cannot manage the time to glance over the newspapers, she can employ some dedicated people to do that for her, and update her from time to time. Based on mere media information followed by a thorough yet quick validation, she would always be able to ditch any minister or incumbent without a giving second thought to possible repercussions. As long as the interests of the people and the country are upheld, the countrymen will mind little for her enlightened despotism against corrup-
tion and budding criminals. Sheikh Hasina has now become a true statesman. Years of changes and a wealth of experience in politics and governance are behind her. In addition, the presence of some enlightened and competent people around her make her even more assured. Absolute caution, however, should be in place so that so-called well-wishers in the garb of close relatives and party stalwarts cannot divert her focus and devotion even for a little while. To many, this resumption of power is a big challenge for the AL. Thus, there are more warning bells than applause, and rightly so. To my mind, however, it is more of an opportunity than a challenge. There is reason to be optimistic that the new government, led by the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, is wise enough to make the most of this grand opportunity. Yes, there are big questions regarding the election that put Hasina in power for the third time. However, her acumen in putting the highest importance on good governance places before us a very interesting and differ-
ent scenario. Good governance is indeed the ultimate goal of any government. If a government can deliver that to the people, the question of its legitimacy is bound to take the back seat.
To many, this resumption of power is a big challenge for the AL. Thus, there are more warning bells than applause, and rightly so
We want to believe that the prime minister really means what she says. And if she and her cabinet can stick to the golden rule of good governance, this government will go down in history for its grandness, not for notoriety. l Kazi SM Khasrul Alam Quddusi is Associate Professor and ex-Chair, Department of Public Administration, Chittagong University.
AFP
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
n Shadma Malik
Again no Best Film Award in this years Dhaka Intl Film Festival
Iran dominates chart, wins 6 awards including Best Director n Hasan Mansoor Chatak
As in the previous edition of Dhaka International Film Festival, no Best Film Award was announced on the concluding ceremony of the 13th DIFF held yesterday at the auditorium of National Museum Auditorium. The juries of Competition, Australasian Film Section, explained that no film from the competition stood out as Best Film this year. Moreover, no Bangladeshi films have been awarded at this years DIFF which featured 20 awards in different categories. As a solitary participant country in the festival, Iran dominated the award chart by winning a total of six awards: Best Director, Best Actor, Badal Rahman Award for the Best Children Film, Audience Award (film) and two Special Mention awards in Short and Independent films category. As chief guest at the closing ceremony, information minister Hasanul Haque Inu said: Filmmakers can mark their efforts to change society and contribute to our ongoing fight against religious fundamental groups, communal aggression, poverty and illiteracy. Graceful presence of a number of local and international film makers, film enthusiastic and academics made the closing ceremony a colourful one. Among them Rasoul Sadrameli, a veteran Iranian filmmaker, Mofidul Haque, trustee of Liberation War Museum and Kim Ji-Seok, executive programmer of Busan Internation Film Festival were present. However, most of the awardees were absent at the programme and the crests and certificates were received by others on behalf of them. The official jury of competition section announced The Best Director asParviz Shahbazi for his film Trapped. The Best Actor went to Levon Hafevan for his brilliant performance in Iranian film Parviz and the Best Actress
SUCHITRA SEN
The feisty diva Suchitra Sens pairing with Uttam Kumar was the most hit match of the Bangla film industry and the actor reportedly told the producers that her name should appear before Uttam Kumars in film posters Initially, Sen was more interested in singing than in acting. In 1951, she auditioned as a playback singer, but was instead offered a role by director Sukumar Dasgupta. Dasguptas assistant director Nitish Roy named her Suchitra by which name she went on to achieve celebrity status Suchitra Sen was the only celebrity to refuse the Dadasaheb Phalke Award just to avoid travelling to New Delhi Suchitra Sen declined the offer to work with well known director Satyajit Ray because he wanted her to act exclusively in his film and Suchitra being a professional chose not to hurt the directors responsible for her career. Because of that, the Oscar winning director never made the film! She refused to work with the famous actor Raj Kapoor. What irked Suchitra was the filmi style in which Kapoor approached her. It is said that Kapoor knelt down on the floor with a bouquet in his hand and offered the film. Why should a man bow down before a woman like this? Sen had reportedly told her close associates after politely refusing the offer She was a trendsetter in many respects - one instance being her entry into films five years after her marriage to Dibanath Sen in 1947, something unimaginable in those days. The marriage, was, however, said to be rocky Dharmendra was pet named as D by the legend when they worked together in the movie Mamta The diva was the first to portray the character of Paro in Bollywood. Her role in the 1955 film Devdas was inimitable and many heroines after her have tried to copy it, none succeeding Directed by lyricist Gulzar, Sens film Aandhi was released in 1975. Several promotional posters ahead of the release of the movie had carried texts such as Watch the real life of your Prime Minister. It was believed that the movie was based on Indira Gandhis life. However, the movie was not allowed a full release initially when Indira Gandhi was in power in 1975. The film was banned for 20 weeks in 1975s emergency. According to sources, the then PM had asked Prime Minister Office (PMO) officials to watch out the movie in order to take the decision of lifting the ban imposed on it Suchitra Sen played a double role of the courtesan Pannabai and her daughter Suparna, a lawyer, in Uttar Falguni Chief Minister Mamta Banarjee had visited Belle Vue Clinic during Sens hospitalisation but respecting her privacy went away without meeting her on the first day. Learning about her visit, Sen had expressed the desire to meet Banerjee after which she rushed to the hospital and met her personally
Vilma Santos wins Best Actress Award and Levon Hafevan wins Best Actor Award went to Vilma Santos for her fabulous acting in Philippino film Ekstra. The Best Screenplay Award was grabbed by Japanese film Miss Zombie and The Best Cinematography Award by Australian film Satellite Boy. Best Children Film Badal Rahman Award, a special include in the festival, was achieved by The Rooster Trademark Paper while the Audience Award went to the film Plastic. Sri Lankan film Siri Perakum by famous director Somaratne Dissanayake and Nepalese film Chokhaunee by Kamal Bhatta received Special Audience Mention awards. In Spiritual section, Best Fiction Award went to an Indian film Adomya and Special Mention to Swedish film Between Two Worlds. In Women Filmmakers section, another special include in the festival, Best Fiction Award went to Swedish film Eat Sleep Die by Gabriela Pilchler and Best Documentary Award to Afghan Women behind the Wheel by Afghan female film director Sahraa Karimi. Turkish film Patika and South Korean film The Korean Dream were honoured with the Best Fiction Award and Best Documentary respectively in Short and Independent section. With the slogan Better Film, Better Audience, Better Society, the 13th Dhaka International Film Festival began on January 10 and ran at four venues in Dhaka. Organised by Rainbow Film Society, which is dedicated to the promotion of a healthy cine culture in Bangladesh, and also celebrates global cinema, the festival featured screening of around 150 films from almost 50 countries. l
At the age of 63, Syed Quomer Hossain Sheerajy better known as Bahram finally dipped his toes into Bangladeshs art scene. Thats actually not correct. For over 50 years he has painted in the public domain, from baby-taxis to cinema banners and everything in between. Its highly likely that if you have ever been stuck in traffic, the baby-taxi in front of you or the rickshaw that scraped the side of your vehicle at one point in time was painted by Bahram. With ubiquity comes anonymity. Bahrams mask was finally pulled back when a fortuitous encounter with the artist Nisar Hossain, who piled coal onto his artistic fire. No more moving canvases with generic animals and oversaturated faces. This time around he decided to walk straight past a fork in the road dividing the absurd and the surreal. He ended up with his first solo exhibition, curated by Mustafa Zaman at The Dhaka Art Center aptly titled DeReal. The canvases are dominated by animal human hybrids midwifed by his commercial artistic ethos, which for a few paintings no matter how much he tries, it is difficult to extricate his so called previous artistic oeuvre from his current one. Throughout the exhibition, Bahram seems intent on deconstructing the human face into animal instincts and traits. Thus turning the face into a window on the mind, where our collective identity is on display. By placing the identity squarely on his faces, he turns the very core of our mind inside out. In Eyes of the Hunter, the hunted deer not only creates the eyes of hunter but shows the hunter his prey. By both creating the gaze and being the object of it, the deer is both the self and the other. The head is placed on unknown shoulders not
An artwork by Bahram connected by the neck but by a set of feet, thus implying that the head/face is a separate entity from the rest of the body. Others pieces such as Animal Likeness Big, Lost Youth of the Lady Reveler and One that Flew Away along with a host of others use animal forms to create human faces in a style that is at times relatable to his street art roots while also veering wildly into the avant-garde as well. The content of a Rorschach test falls into four categories, animal, abstract, nature and human and one could say so does Bahrams work. His exhibition is a Rorschach test of sorts, ambiguous images that provide a look into the human mind. l
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14 Shehzad hits
15 Strong start
Islami Bank East Zone batsman Mominul Haque steers a ball through leg side while BCB North Zones Mushfiqur Rahim and Jahurul Islam look on during the first day of their BCL match at BKSP 2 yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Islami Bank East V BCB North East Zone (1st innings) 261/8 in 81 overs (Mominul 94, Kapali 52*, Taijul 7/67)
Taijul Islam
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Brothers Union
21
Ctg Abahani
Brothers Unions Nigerian forward Victori Antoni scores past Chittagong Abahani goalkeeper Piaruzzaman during their Bangladesh Premier League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday
MUMIT M
32
35 41
83
to deny Masuk Mia Jonys header from going in GOAL! A silly blunder from Piaruzzaman saw Jewel Ranas fragile shot roll inside the goal Jewel Ranas side header hits the second bar Rogu makes a decent save parrying away Faisals close range shot GOAL! Rubel Miah runs toward the goal skipping past two defenders and takes a curling shot. Piaruzzaman makes the save but Victori Antoni scores from the rebound
14
Neymar ankle injury less serious than feared
n Reuters, Madrid
Barcelonas Brazil forward Neymar should have recovered in time to feature in the Spanish clubs Champions League last 16, first leg at Manchester City on Feb. 18 after an ankle injury proved less serious than feared. A scan on Friday confirmed Neymar had damaged tendons in his right ankle in Thursdays 2-0 Kings Cup last 16, second-leg win at Getafe, which sent Barca through to the quarter-finals 6-0 on aggregate, and club medical staff estimated he would be sidelined for three to four weeks.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
n AFP, Sharjah
SCORECARD, DAY 3
SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS 428 9 DEC
D. Perera 95, A. Mathews 91, K. Sangakkara 52; Junaid Khan 3 81, Mohammad Talha 3 99
PAKISTAN 1ST INNINGS
I thought it could have been a serious injury, I thought about my plans for 2014
What a scare! Neymar wrote on his Instagram account. When I fell I thought of a lot of bad things. I thought it could have been a serious injury, I thought about my plans for 2014. But Jesus, once again, was with me and it was just a scare. I wanted to thank all those that prayed for me. And dont worry. I will do everything right and will be back in no time. The injury was the latest setback for the 21-year-old, who had not started a match since Christmas due to a lack of fitness and a stomach bug. He will miss Sundays La Liga game at Levante as well as this months twolegged Cup quarter-final, also against the Valencia-based side. Before they play City in Europes elite club competition, Barca have La Liga matches against Malaga, Valencia, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano and the club said he would definitely miss the Malaga and Valencia games. l
(overnight 19 0) Khurram c Prasanna b Eranga Ahmed Shehzad b Herath Azhar Ali c Mathews b Perera Younis Khan c Prasanna b Herath Misbah-ul Haq not out Asad Shafiq lbw b Eranga Sarfraz Ahmed c Prasanna b Herath Extras: (b1, lb6, nb1) Total: (for six wkts; 95.3 overs)
52 147 8 17 36 18 5 8 291
Fall of wickets 1 114 (Manzoor), 2 149 (Azhar), 3 189 (Younis), 4 245 (Shehzad), 5 274 (Shafiq), 6 291 (Sarfraz) Bowling Herath 31.3 8 88 3, Lakmal 21 4 57 0, Perera 17 1 71 1, Eranga 19 5 53 2 (1nb), Mathews 7 3 15 0 Match Situation Pakistan trail by 137 runs with four wickets remaining in the 1st innings.
FIXTURES
Swansea City v Tottenham Chelsea v Man United
and will be bidding for a fifth consecutive victory on Sunday. The teams played out a terse 0-0 at Old Trafford when they last met in August, but Moyes says it is hard to draw conclusions from that encounter. That was a difficult game for both of us that probably came a bit too early in the season, said the United manager.
Victory for United would certainly have a transformative effect on perceptions of Moyess side Mourinho has never lost a home league game with Chelsea and Moyes has never come out on top against the Portuguese. In the continued absence of Rooney and Van Persie, United will once again turn to Danny Welbeck, who has scored six goals in his last six games, to lead the line. Chelsea hope that Frank Lampard will recover from a calf injury in time for Sundays game but right-back Branislav Ivanovic only returned to training on Friday following a knee problem and is unlikely to feature. Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic could make his second Chelsea debut, having returned to the club from Benfica this week, but Mourinho has already confirmed that he will not start the game. l
FIXTURES
Getafe Villarreal Levante Atletico Madrid v v v v Real Sociedad Almeria Barcelona Sevilla
From the point of his unfortunate injury, he has done different work from the rest of the squad. What the rest were doing in July and August, he is doing now, he said. A footballer like him, with such talent and who is mentally strong, is ready to show us his best form. l
FIXTURES
Reims v Lyon Toulouse v Monaco PSG v Nantes
domestic treble. Tuesdays win against Bordeaux set up a League Cup semi-final away to Nantes at the Stade de le Beaujoire in early February, but it is at the Parc des Princes where the teams meet this weekend. Les Canaris are enjoying a fine campaign themselves and lie in sixth place coming into the weekend but PSG are unbeaten in front of their own fans since November 2012, so anything other than a home win would be a huge surprise. l
Sunday night. Laurent Blancs side come into the weekend five points clear of Monaco at the summit and with confidence high after a clinical 3-1 win away to Bordeaux in the quarter-finals of the League Cup in midweek. The capital outfit have been beaten just once - a 2-0 reverse at Evian last month - in domestic competition all season, and remain on course to win a
FIXTURES
Udinese Atalanta Bologna Catania Chievo Genoa Sassuolo Milan v v v v v v v v Lazio Cagliari Napoli Fiorentina Parma Inter Torino Verona
est Champions League qualifying spot, Seedorf has a fight on his hands -- and his lack of top level experience has raised eyebrows. The 37-year-old, who ended his playing career with Botafogo when the Milan offer came up, has already admitted: Theres a lot to do to hoist Milan back to the top. And fellow Dutchmen and former Rossoneri Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit both seemed sceptical about the appointment. Its a risk. We have to wait and see how Seedorf adapts, said Van Basten. Gullit said: I wasnt expecting it. Clarence has no coaching experience and has to prove himself. l
Rafael Nadal reacts after winning against Gael Monfils at the Australian Open in Melbourne yesterday REUTERS 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-2 and move into the round of 16 without dropping a set. Today was a big step up for me. Feliciano is a top-30 player. Hes a tricky opponent to play, Murray said. In the evening session, Nadal was superior in all departments to the entertaining but inconsistent Monfils, winning in just over two hours. Nadal will next face Japanese number one Kei Nishikori, who reeled off the last 10 games against Donald Young to end American interest in the mens competition. Bulgarias Grigor Dimitrov weathered Milos Raonics powerful serve to reach his first Grand Slam last 16, where he will face Roberto Bautista Agut, the Spanish surprise package who ousted Benoit Paire. Meanwhile in the womens draw, Azarenka destroyed hapless Austrian Yvonne Meusburger for the loss of just one game, winning 6-1, 6-0 to set up a rematch of last years semi-final with Sloane Stephens. Stephens beat Elina Svitolina to progress and she said last years controversy, when Azarenka was accused of using a medical timeout to calm her nerves at a critical moment, would have no bearing. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
Dzeko brings up Man Citys 100th goal
QUICK BYTES
n AFP, Manchester
Manchester City scored their 100th goal of the season on Saturday when Edin Dzeko opened the scoring in their Premier League game at home to Cardiff City. Dzeko struck in the 14th minute at the Etihad Stadium, meeting David Silvas cut-back with a low shot that bobbled over the line despite Kevin McNaughtons attempted last-ditch clearance.
City are on track to surpass the Premier League goal-scoring record set by Carlo Ancelottis Chelsea, who scored 103 goals en route to the title in 2009 10
Manuel Pellegrinis side have been in free-scoring form this season, putting six goals past Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, outclassing Manchester United 4-1, and crushing Norwich City 7-0. With 59 goals from 21 games, prior to kick-off, City are on track to surpass the Premier League goal-scoring record set by Carlo Ancelottis Chelsea, who scored 103 goals en route to the title in 2009-10. l
Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla (C) celebrates scoring against Fulham with teammate Olivier Giroud (L) during their English Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium in London yesterday AFP
Arsenal 20 Cazorla 57, 62 Crystal Palace 10 Puncheon 51 Man City 42 Dzeko 14, Navas 33, Toure 76, Aguero 79 Norwich 10 Bennett 87 Sunderland 22 Borini 32, Johnson 71 West Ham 13 Williamson 45-og
RESULTS
Fulham Stoke Cardiff Noone 29, Campbell 90 Hull Southampton Rodriguez 4, Lovren 31 Newcastle Cabaye 16, 90, Remy 33
DAYS WATCH
Sony Six 7:00AM Indias Tour of New Zealand 1st ODI 12:00PM Pakistan v Sri Lanka 3rd Test, Day 4 12:00AM NBA 2013 14 Toronto v LA Lakers Star Sports 1 9:30AM Australia v England 3rd ODI Star Sports HD1 Italian Serie A 5:30PM Udinese v Lazio 8:00PM Genoa v Inter Milan 1:45AM AC Milan v Hellas Verona La Liga 10:00PM Villerreal v Almeria Star Sports 4 11:30AM Australian Open English Premier League 7:30AM Swansea v Tottenham 10:00PM Chelsea v Man United La Liga 12:00AM Levante v Barcelona 2:00AM Atletico Madrid v Sevilla Ten HD 4:00PM Ram Slam T20 Challenge Dolphins v Cobras Ten Golf 10:00AM Asian Tour 2014 Kings Cup, Day 4 3:00PM European Tour 2014 Abu Dhabi Championship, Day 4 Ten Action French Ligue 1 2013/14 7:00PM Stade de Reims v Olympique Lyon 10:00PM Toulouse v Monaco 2:00AM PSG v FC Nantes
RESULT
Real Betis
Real Madrid Ronaldo 10, Bale 25, Benzema 45+1, Di Maria 61, Morata 90
05
the goal. The visitors didnt have to wait long to double their advantage, though, as Bale did make his mark with a dipping free-kick on 25 minutes that beat the stationary Andersen, although the Danish keeper should have done better. Ruben Castro missed a wonderful opportunity to pull a goal back for the hosts when he failed to connect with Leo Baptistaos fine low cross six minutes before half-time. l
n AFP, Sydney
An action from the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League match between Abahani Limited and Azad SC at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday MUMIT M
Australia will be looking to open Englands scars and close out the oneday series on Sunday, keeper Brad Haddin said after his teams thrilling one-wicket victory over the luckless tourists in Brisbane. Alastair Cooks men have now lost the opening two one-day internationals which follow their demoralising 5-0 loss in the Ashes, despite coming desperately close at the Gabba on Friday. Chasing 301 for victory, Australia looked finished at 244-9 with six overs remaining until all-rounder James Faulkner took to the crease and smashed 69 runs from just 47 balls to deliver the improbable win. That was an extraordinary finish last night; we were in no position to win that game until James hit the ball through cover on the last ball, Haddin said. l
16
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
Dhaka Childrens Hospital witnesses a surge of too many child patients attacked with cold-related diseases going of its treatment capacity. The picture was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE A record keeping official in the hospital said during January 9-16, more than 5,000 children visited the hospitals outdoor and emergency department. Only less than 800 could be admitted, as adequate beds were not available. Among those admitted, 136 had pneumonia and 80 were diarrheal patients. Shilpi, the aunt of a newborn, held the baby wrapped in a blanket as she waited to see a doctor at the emergency department. She said the baby had been facing difficulties breathing since he was born on Friday afternoon at home in Shingair of Manikganj district. Ferdousi, a resident of Dhakas Jhigatola, had brought her two-and-halfyear-old daughter Samia, who had been suffering from diarrhea for the past few days. Treatment suggested at a local pharmacy had not been able to cure the girl properly, Ferdousi said. Jainob, mother of a three-monthold baby named Rihan, had come from Siddirganj of Narayanganj to treat the fever that Rihan has been suffering since December 26. A local homeopathic doctor and a local pharmacist failed to cure the baby, prompting the mother to bring her child to Dhaka Shishu Hospital for a specialists advice. Dr Mushtuq Husain, a principal scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said thousands of children were now facing the risk of cold-related diseases because of the severe cold across the country. He said children were easily infected by fever, cold, pneumonia, diarrhea, asthma and others diseases, as their bodies were vulnerable to cold temperature. Dr Mushtaque also advised to keep children in warm clothes, keep rooms warm at any cost and to visit doctors immediately. l
The construction of Tejgaon-Moghbazar flyover goes on at a steady pace, leaving hardly enough room for people and vehicles to pass along its either side. The picture was taken from Moghbazar area yesterday FOCUS BANGLA
Finally she sat for exam and stood first. Now she is working at a branch outside Dhaka. She is doing the tasks what a normal official who has the eyesightdoes
Several times she set on exams and passed the written tests for getting a job as a high school teacher but every time the viva board barred her. Later, she tried to get a job as a banker. But when I contacted banks officials misbehaved with me, and said sightless people are not eligible for this job said Farzana. Then she contacted with the high officials of Bangladesh
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093 94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com
Business
B4 Career: Dissecting a
pitch through starbursting
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business
Retailers sell a variety of vegetables at a kitchen market in Kumira of Sitakund upzila, Chittagong. Production is abundant, but farmers allege that they are getting fair prices
DSE launches Telecom supervisor seeks allocation from social fund Shariah-based The money is dedicated to provide services to areas without telecom coverage index tomorrow
n
Tribune Report
Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) will launch a new index titled Islamic Shariah Index tomorrow to increase investment by Islamic Shariah-based banks in the stock market. This is an effort to boost investment by the Islamic banks to stabilise the stock market, DSE executives said. The Standard and Poors (S&P), a US -based financial services company, has developed the new index applying its methodology.
At present, 77 listed companies from banks, nonbank financial institutions, insurance companies and mutual funds are in operations based on Islamic Shariah
At present, 77 listed companies from banks, non-bank financial institutions, insurance companies and mutual funds are in operations based on Islamic Shariah. These companies are likely to be included with the index that might set out its journey with a base point of 1,000, said the executives. Al-Arafah Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, ICB Islamic Bank, Shahjalal Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank and Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited are the six banks being operated on the basis of Islamic Shariah. Islamic Finance and Investment Limited are only one financial institution governed by Shariah. Fareast Islami Life Insurance, Islami Insurance Bangladesh Limited, Padma Islami Life Insurance, Prime Islami Life Insurance and Takaful Islami Life insurance are the five companies from insurance sector. IBL Fareast Islamic Mutual Fund, ICB AMCL Islamic Mutual Fund and IFIL Islamic Mutual Fund are the three funds from the sector. l
The state-run National Telecom Monitoring Cell (NTMC), administered by an intelligence agency, has sought an allocation from the Social Obligation Fund (SoF) to maintain state discipline and social responsibility. But, according to law, the fund will be used only for expansion of telecommunication services to the deprived areas having no network. NTMC wants Tk60 crore from the fund, contributed by four private mobile phone operators, for data interception with the fastest mobile data service (3G). It also wished to be a part of the SoF management committee. It already has sent two different letters to the home ministry and the post and telecommunication ministry. Both the ministries also sent their respective recommendations to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). Officials said the regulator has neither accepted nor rejected the proposals. The proposals were, however, placed at a commission meeting.
Meanwhile, Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob) sent another proposal to the telecommunication minister last week, protesting participation of non-contributors to the fund. Secretary general TIM Nurul Kabir signed the recommendations.
The SoF has been created to spring up telecommunication services to the area deprived of. The money will be spent only on it, not for other purposes
Only the licensed operators which contribute to SoF should be eligible to participate in the SoF programmes or contracts, including special projects, reads the Amtob letter. According to the letter, telecom operators also expect the fund allocation
to the NTMC. NTMC requested incorporating a provision in the SoF rule to facilitate them getting the fund allocation in future. The SoF has been created to spring up telecommunication services to the area deprived of. The money will be spent only on it, not for other purposes, a senior executive officer of a mobile phone operator told the Dhaka Tribune, requesting anonymity. NTMC requested incorporating a member of the law enforcing agencies or the NTMC in the SoF management committee. Four mobile phone operators Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel has been contributing its 1% of total revenue from November 2011. The figure stood at Tk333 crore as of September last year. Sources said the figure reached nearly Tk400 crore by the end of 2013. Amtob proposed establishing a wholly state-run body to administer the fund. It also urged the government to find out deprived areas in the country, where the telecom penetration rate is low compared to the national rate. Amtob suggested categorising the
deprived areas. The areas having up to 10% of population out of the telecom services will be identified as less deprived. In the same way, if the deprived population is 10%-20%, the areas will be seen as moderately deprived and for 20% above, it will be designated as severely deprived. It also said funds allocation and project formulation should be on the basis of the ratio of deprived people. The contributing companies want transparency in the management of the fund. As we are contributing to it, we want to know how the fund will be managed, said a senior executive officer of a contributing mobile phone operator. As per Bangladesh Telecommunication (Amendment) Act 2010, the regulator can raise a fund under the SOF. The rate of the fund and system will be decided by the rule. The government could not yet formulate any rule in this regard. But, BTRC has made it mandatory for the mobile operators to contribute 1% of their total revenues. The operators have been contributing to the fund since November 2011. l
Tofail for improved connectivity to boost trade in SAARC region n Tribune Report
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has underscored the need for establishing more connectivity among the SAARC countries for further expansion of the regional trade and commerce, according to a press statement of the commerce ministry. Although one-fifth of the global population lives in South Asia, the trade volume among the countries is still very poor, he told the closing session of the fifth SAARC Business Leaders Conclave in India yesterday. The minister stressed the need for further establishing rail, road and waterways connectivity to boost trade and commerce among the SAARC member countries.
Although one-fifth of the global population lives in South Asia, the trade volume among the countries is still very poor
Terming India as the biggest market in the region, he urged the Indian authority to remove all the tariff and non-tariff barriers through consultations with the business communities, paving the smooth way for Bangladeshi products to the Indian market. Apart from the conference, Tofail Ahmed made a courtesy call on Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Indian Security adviser Sib Sanker Menon and discussed issues of bilateral interests. Meanwhile, he held a discussion with the Indian Minister for Industry and Commerce Ananda Sharm to discuss about some bilateral issues. He urged his Indian counterpart to take some realistic steps for increasing trade volume between the two countries. Tofail Ahmed urged the Indian minister to take steps for issuing one-year multiple entry visa for Bangladeshi businessmen. In reply, the Indian minister gave him a positive response. l
B2
Bull runs over stock market
n Tribune Report
Bull ran over the stock markets in the past week, spurred by a speculation of positive monetary policy statement to be announced soon by Bangladesh Bank coupled with subdued negative sentiment over the latest political development. During the week ended Thursday, the benchmark DSEX surged 111 points or 2.6% to 4,519, which is highest level since launching of the broader index in January last year. The blue chip index DS30 rose 37 points or 2.4% to 1,592. The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, gained 224 points or 2.6% to close the week at 8,888. Volume of trade increased significantly as the daily turnover averaged Tk651 crore, registering more than 42% rise over the previous weeks average of Tk457 crore. Market ran with relentless pace. Every day was a long green day with higher turnover. Market participants seem to have welcomed the new state of economy without political clashes, said Lanka Bangla Securities in its market analysis. It said participants are probably expecting new government to take populist decisions to make the economy vibrant. Money market is very liquid with call money rate hovering around 7%. In the first sign of economic stability, money market liquidity seems to rush into the equity market. We have seen cement sector rallied 7% in the past week with 70% increase in turnover. If economy really stabilises, cyclical companies like construction ma-
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company Kay & Que (BD) -Z Imam Button -Z PragatiLife Insu. -A Meghna Con. Milk -B Alltex Industries -Z Dulamia CottonZ Miracle Industries -B Rupali Life Insur.-A ISN Ltd. -A Shampur Sugar -Z CSE GAINERS Company PragatiLife Insu. -A Kay & Que (BD) -Z Imam Button -Z Alltex Industries -Z Miracle Industries -B ISN Ltd. -A Rupali Life Insur.-A Delta Brac HFCL A ICB -A LafargeS Cement-Z
Closing (% change) 34.09 33.33 28.67 24.03 22.08 21.43 19.50 15.36 14.81 14.29
terials and financial companies will perform better than they did in 2013, it said. In 2013, cement industry was fully flat with no growth. As political clashes have to some extent stopped and many expect 2014 to be a stable year, the pent up demand of 2013 is expected to boost demand in 2014. Market closed above an important psychological level of 4,500 and average daily turnover increased by 43% in the past week, indicating strength in market movement. IDLC Investment said upcoming corporate declarations and monetary policy statement generated scrip and sector-specific trading motivations. Resultant enthusiasm helped flourish activities worth more than Tk600-crore level. At the historical high level of DSEX, investors were quite naturally wondering about future movements. Reflection of the market turned out to be bullish in the past week, pulling DSEX over 4,500 points for the first time ever, it said. Out of 298 issues traded in the past week, 216 advanced, 72 declined and 10 remained unchanged. All the major sectors ended in green except telecommunications which lost 1.3% in the past week. Non-banking financial institutions was the biggest winning sector that rallied almost 5%, followed by pharmaceuticals 3.7%, banks 3.3% and fuel & power 2.2%. Appollo Ispat Complex was the weeks turnover leader with shares worth over Tk100 crore changing hands in the past week, followed by Bengla Windsor Thermoplastics, Olympic Industries, Golden Son, Square Pharmaceuticals and Summit Purbanchal Power Company. l
Average (% change) 29.69 30.53 27.60 25.50 20.36 22.62 19.92 13.62 13.85 14.82 Average (% change) 64.89 21.74 22.75 22.68 20.13 15.04 11.67 16.35 7.21 13.64
Closing average 23.02 11.16 196.90 16.19 9.40 10.19 24.20 133.49 21.46 9.76
Weekly closing 23.60 11.20 198.80 16.00 9.40 10.20 23.90 134.40 21.70 9.60
Weekly high 23.90 11.30 200.90 17.20 9.40 10.20 25.90 135.00 22.00 9.70
Weekly low 17.00 8.60 140.00 12.50 7.80 8.30 19.50 105.00 18.80 8.40
Turnover in million 9.358 4.409 142.575 16.254 10.441 0.933 71.709 169.924 16.719 0.144
Latest EPS -0.89 -2.20 2.38 -4.60 -1.56 -1.90 0.12 5.33 -0.36 -45.28
Latest PE -ve -ve 82.7 -ve -ve -ve 201.7 25.0 -ve -ve
Closing (% change) 64.51 29.44 25.56 24.68 20.00 16.04 15.75 15.73 12.84 12.77
Closing average 201.17 23.13 11.06 9.52 24.11 21.57 132.83 69.09 1608.10 37.40
Weekly closing 200.70 23.30 11.30 9.60 24.00 21.70 135.20 69.90 1608.00 37.10
Weekly high 201.80 23.60 11.40 9.60 24.70 22.30 140.00 73.00 1608.50 39.00
Weekly low 158.20 19.40 8.60 7.70 20.90 18.50 111.00 61.40 1514.00 32.80
Turnover in million 12.688 1.176 0.497 4.019 12.706 3.729 3.985 14.319 0.705 23.662
Latest EPS 2.38 -0.89 -2.20 -1.56 0.12 -0.36 5.33 4.72 48.16 1.63
Latest PE 84.5 -ve -ve -ve 200.9 -ve 24.9 14.6 33.4 22.9
Fixed Assets/Right/Investment:
"BBB1" based on audited financial statements up to June 30, 2013; bank liability position as on December 31, 2013 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.
(+) 2.53% (+) 2.39% (+) 2.63% (+) 2.73% (+) 2.59%
Weekly high 69.00 1009.90 1010.00 35.60 82.00 70.00 46.00 26.70 110.00 37.00
Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Weekly low 58.50 1009.90 965.10 30.00 70.00 60.00 41.60 22.60 95.00 31.50 Turnover in million 103.612 0.101 2.097 1.069 179.525 771.373 214.225 64.568 15.355 190.354 Latest EPS 1.16 20.50 46.69 -2.48 3.33 3.35 1.16 0.93 3.03 2.08
Average (% change) -29.20 -6.25 -5.89 -5.79 -5.05 -4.11 -2.21 -2.64 -4.17 -3.13 Average (% change) -29.20 -6.25 -5.89 -5.79 -5.05 -4.11 -2.21 -2.64 -4.17 -3.13
Closing average 63.95 1009.90 965.10 32.55 76.10 65.12 42.42 25.12 101.38 34.66
Weekly closing 63.40 1009.90 965.10 32.70 76.40 64.90 41.80 24.80 101.30 34.40
Latest PE 55.1 49.3 20.7 -ve 22.9 19.4 36.6 27.0 33.5 16.7
BRACBANK: Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has approved the Rights offer of BRAC Bank Limited for 221,652,288 ordinary shares of Tk. 10.00 each issuing at Tk. 20.00 each, including a premium of Tk. 10.00 per share, totaling Tk. 4,433,045,760.00 at a ratio of 1R:2, i.e. one Rights share for two existing shares. The approval has been accorded subject to the condition that the Company shall comply with the requirements embodied in the Securities and Exchange Commission (Rights Issue) Rules, 2006 and other relevant laws and Regulatory Requirements, and shall also adhere to the conditions imposed by BSEC under Section-2CC of the Securities and Exchange Ordinance, 1969.
Miscellaneous
Credit Rating:
Closing average 63.95 1009.90 965.10 32.55 76.10 65.12 42.42 25.12 101.38 34.66
Weekly closing 63.40 1009.90 965.10 32.70 76.40 64.90 41.80 24.80 101.30 34.40
Weekly high 69.00 1009.90 1010.00 35.60 82.00 70.00 46.00 26.70 110.00 37.00
Weekly low 58.50 1009.90 965.10 30.00 70.00 60.00 41.60 22.60 95.00 31.50
Turnover in million 103.612 0.101 2.097 1.069 179.525 771.373 214.225 64.568 15.355 190.354
Latest EPS 1.16 20.50 46.69 -2.48 3.33 3.35 1.16 0.93 3.03 2.08
Latest PE 55.1 49.3 20.7 -ve 22.9 19.4 36.6 27.0 33.5 16.7
BENGALWTL: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating (surveillance) of the Company as "AA3" based on audited financial statements up to June 30, 2013; bank liability position as on December 30, 2013 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration. UNITEDAIR: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating (surveillance) of the Company as
Approval for Issuance of Prospectus of Hwa Well Textiles (BD) Limited: Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has given consent for raising of capital through Initial Public Offer (IPO) and issuance of prospectus by Hwa Well Textiles (BD) Limited. GHAIL: The Company has informed that the cash dividend for the year ended on June 30, 2013 has been credited to the respective shareholders' Bank Accounts on January 09, 2014 through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN) system. AFTABAUTO: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on August 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on January 12, 2014. FUWANGFOOD: Fu-Wang Foods Ltd. has informed that the Bonus shares of the Company for the year ended 30 June 2013 have already been credited to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on 13 January 2014. CVOPRL: CVO Petrochemical Refinery Ltd. has informed that the Bonus shares of the Company for the year ended 30 June 2013 have already been credited through CDBL to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on 12 January 2014.
ANALYST
Market ran with relentless pace. Every day was a long green day with higher turnover. Market participants seem to have welcomed the new state of economy without political clashes
CSE Total
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Appollo Ispat CL -N Bengal Windsor-N Olympic Ind. -A Golden Son -A Square Pharma -A S Purbanchol Power-N LankaBangla Fin. -A UCBL - A Delta Life Insu. -A Active Fine Chem.-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Appollo Ispat CL -N Paramount Textile Ltd.-A UCBL - A Golden Son -A Bengal Windsor-N S Purbanchol Power-N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A LankaBangla Fin. -A Orion Pharma-N BD Building Systems -A
DSE Million Taka 2366.27 1807.31 543.67 5374.00 948.90 2974.61 8.51 3305.64 2931.74 4.57 132.84 588.33 158.39 1281.70 260.84 486.29 1201.96 661.39 478.67 550.75 1.21
% change 9.08 6.93 2.09 20.62 3.64 11.41 0.03 12.68 11.25 0.02 0.51 2.26 0.61 4.92 1.00 1.87 4.61 2.54 1.84 2.11 0.00
Million Taka 232.29 178.55 39.82 635.00 119.92 227.13 0.00 301.80 216.52 1.16 11.24 52.16 22.08 82.96 51.29 16.67 66.23 54.23 68.00 105.35 0.22
% change 9.36 7.19 1.60 25.58 4.83 9.15 0.00 12.16 8.72 0.05 0.45 2.10 0.89 3.34 2.07 0.67 2.67 2.18 2.74 4.24 0.01
Million Taka 2598.56 1985.86 583.49 6009.00 1068.82 3201.75 8.51 3607.43 3148.26 5.73 144.08 640.49 180.46 1364.65 312.14 502.96 1268.19 715.62 546.67 656.10 1.43
% change 9.10 6.96 2.04 21.05 3.74 11.21 0.03 12.64 11.03 0.02 0.50 2.24 0.63 4.78 1.09 1.76 4.44 2.51 1.91 2.30 0.00
Volume shares 26,696,000 11,488,533 4,735,297 11,592,255 3,156,727 8,896,835 7,943,650 20,074,451 1,971,800 5,613,393
Value in million 1049.05 819.60 797.19 771.37 666.77 641.26 601.35 543.57 536.02 534.58
% of total turnover 4.02 3.14 3.06 2.96 2.56 2.46 2.31 2.09 2.06 2.05
Weekly closing 39.90 74.30 174.10 64.90 218.90 72.10 77.30 28.30 268.20 96.70
Price change 9.02 13.09 8.61 -4.84 8.15 1.55 1.98 9.27 0.60 5.22
Weekly opening 36.60 65.70 160.30 68.20 202.40 71.00 75.80 25.90 266.60 91.90
Weekly high 41.40 75.50 180.00 70.00 234.00 75.00 78.50 29.00 279.50 98.00
Weekly low 36.70 60.00 150.00 60.00 190.00 64.00 66.30 23.40 267.30 85.00
Weekly average 40.12 73.19 171.68 65.12 217.22 71.20 76.45 28.01 268.78 95.76
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
Volume shares 6,696,800 1,460,790 2,905,645 1,131,908 1,019,120 924,810 1,817,086 797,733 779,340 671,025
Value in million 262.55 80.74 78.77 75.45 72.94 66.70 65.66 60.63 50.37 50.03
% of total turnover 10.59 3.26 3.18 3.04 2.94 2.69 2.65 2.44 2.03 2.02
Weekly closing 39.90 54.60 28.40 65.10 74.20 72.00 35.20 77.50 64.00 72.70
Price change 9.02 -1.62 9.65 -4.41 11.92 1.55 -3.30 1.97 2.07 -1.49
Weekly opening 36.60 55.50 25.90 68.10 66.30 70.90 36.40 76.00 62.70 73.80
Weekly high 41.60 57.50 28.60 68.80 75.60 74.80 37.50 78.20 66.20 77.90
Weekly low 36.60 53.30 24.00 64.50 67.10 64.00 32.90 73.10 59.50 72.50
Weekly average 40.06 55.25 28.05 65.18 73.42 71.47 35.25 76.62 64.01 73.09
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
During the last week, Meghna Condensed Milk and Dulamia Cotton instead responded to DSE queries that there was no undisclosed price sensitive information for the unusual price hike of the stocks
Since beginning of the New Year, the prime bourse witnessed only junk stocks to top among the weekly gainers. Brokers believe, speculators have been active lately in the market with the increase in trade volume. There were no positive disclosures by the companies in the recent times. During the last week, Meghna Condensed Milk and Dulamia Cotton instead responded to DSE queries that there was no undisclosed price sensitive information for the unusual price hike of the stocks. The junk stocks made up a cumulative market capital of Tk98.6 crore and a trade value of Tk4.1 crore last week. l
File photo shows Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda pointing at a chart projecting his quantitative and qualitative monetary easing plans during a news conference after his first monetary policy meeting as BOJ governor in Tokyo last year REUTERS November data showed prices rising 1.2%, their fastest pace in five years and moving closer to the Bank of Japans ambitious 2% inflation target. Analysts have cast doubt on the BoJs two-year timeline to meet that goal, as they warn that a sales tax hike in April - seen as crucial to shrinking Japans huge national debt - would derail a recovery.Tokyos report Friday cautioned over the rate hike to 8% from 5%, saying that a last-minute rise in (consumer) demand before a consumption tax increase and subsequent negative reaction are expected. It also warned that an unsteady recovery overseas was a downside risk for Japans economy. Speculation has been rising that the BoJ, which holds a policy meeting next week, will launch further easing measures to counter any slowdown, after unleashing an unprecedented stimulus campaign last April. l
The International Monetary Fund approved a $6.7bn loan package for Pakistan in September last year, subject to strict economic reforms, particularly in its troubled energy sector and tax system. l
In its report on Thursday, Intel forecast March-quarter restructuring charges of $200 million, a portion of which could be earmarked for severance pay
Intel has both added and shed significant numbers of jobs over the past decade. Struggling to fend off a challenge by smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc in 2006, Intel announced it would reduce its workforce by over 10,000 positions, but its overall number of employees has grown since then. The chipmaker is also not the only tech company to trim its workforce because of slowing demand for PCs since Apples iPad started to cut into demand for laptops in 2010. Hewlett-Packard Co is in the midst of a years-long internal restructuring that would ultimately see it shed 34,000 jobs, or 11% of its workforce,
People visit the Intel booth at the 2013 Computex exhibition at the TWTC Nangang exhibition hall in Taipei REUTERS
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Career
Hone every aspect of your managerial skills to perform at the top of your game
MINTZBERG'S 10 MANAGERIAL ROLES FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT
Figurehead: As a manager, you have social, official and legal responsibilities. You are expected to be a source of inspiration others look up to you as a person with authority, and as a figurehead Interpersonal Leader: You provide leadership for your team, your department or perhaps your entire organisation; it is also where you manage the performance and responsibilities of everyone in the group Liaison Managers must communicate with both internal and external stakeholders. You need to be able to network effectively on behalf of your organisation Monitor As a manager, you regularly seek out information related to your organisation and industry, looking for relevant changes in the environment and adapting accordingly. You also monitor your team in terms of both their productivity and well-being Informational Disseminator You must be on the lookout for and be able to communicate potentially useful information to your colleagues and your team Spokesperson Managers represent and speak for their organisation. In this role youre responsible for transmitting information about your organisation and its goals to the people outside it Entrepreneur As a manager, you create and control change within the organisation. This means solving problems, generating new ideas, and implementing them Disturbance handler When an organisation or team hits an unexpected roadblock, the manager must take charge. You also need to help mediate disputes within it through conflict resolution Resource allocator As a manager you will constantly determine where organisational resources are best applied. This involves allocating funding, as well as assigning staff and other organisational resources Negotiator You may be needed to take part in and direct, important negotiations within your team, department, or organisation to others, a role model everyone looks up to and setting an example for everyone by being the kind of worker you want others to be. Leader: A leadership role is one that a manager plays for the greater part of the day. To be an effective leader, improve your emotional intelligence, be empathic and earn your teams respect. Liaison: To liaise effectively between internal and external stakeholders as all managers are wont to do, harness your professional networking skills. Monitor: To be a good monitor, use fast and effective reading skills, keep up to date with not just industry news but current affairs, and learn to gather and organise information. Disseminator: A good disseminator is one with good writing and communication skills, and one with the ability to tailor incoming information according to the need of the people it has to be disbursed among. Spokesperson: Representing your team is challenging, be it in an internal meeting or in front of the media. Learn to represent your organisation effectively by honing your presentation and public speaking skills and learning better professional networking. Entrepreneur: To improve your entrepreneurial skills, work on your techniques to manage changes in your team, perfect your ability to solve problems and sharpen your creativity skills. Disturbance handler: As a disturbance handler, you are in an internal role where you must manage the emotions of your team, resolve any conflicts and make sure the team is functioning smoothly. Resource allocator: This is a more technical role where you have to learn to manage a budget, always look for ways to cut costs and get used to constantly prioritising and trimming the fat. As a resource allocator, you have to stretch the resources available to you under trying circumstances. Negotiator: Some people have bargaining skills regardless of the position they have at work, but a manager must learn to acquire, or polish their bargaining skills because it is mandatory to the role. Learn more about win-win negotiations, and practice role-playing to be on your edge. l
Step 1
To start a starbursting exercise, draw a large six-pointed star on a sheet of paper and write your idea or challenge in the centre of it. Write the questions who, what, why, where, when and how at the point of each star.
Mintzbergs ten
Mintzberg published the ten different management roles in his 1990 book Mintzberg on Management: Inside our Strange World of Organizations, which are figurehead, leader, liaison, monitor, disseminator, spokesperson, entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator. The ten roles are then subdivided into three categories: interpersonal, informational and decisional.
Step 2
Decisional
Brainstorm questions about the idea or product starting with each of these six words. The questions must radiate outward from the star. While devising the questions, be sure not to answer them in your head; at this point, your focus should only be on generating as many questions as possible for each word.
Step 3
Practical application
You can apply Mintzbergs ten management roles model and better your skills as a manager by using it as a frame of reference. It pays to work on the roles that one fulfills most often as a priority, but you should also work to hone the roles you do not necessarily fulfill every day. The most effective way to become a better manager using the ten roles is by listing them in order of priority according to your current job and future plans, and working on improving the abilities in each role one by one. Figurehead: As a figurehead, you represent your team. The obvious areas to start working on in this role are your image and reputation at work. Practice becoming more modest and empathic
Once all the questions have been generated, it is time to explore answers to all the initial questions. l
n Career Desk
After sales service - Service that continues after the sale of a product (maintenance, etc.) B2B e-commerce BIZ - use of commercial VOCAB networks, online product catalogues and other online resources to obtain better prices and reach new customers. B2C e-commerce - online sale of goods and services directly to consumers. Benchmarking - Comparing ones products to those of competitors in order to improve quality and performance. Close - Finalise a sale or deal. Convenience store - Small shop located near a residential area that opens long hours, seven days a week. Direct investment - Entering a foreign market by setting up assembly or manufacturing facilities in that country. E-marketing - Promotion of products and services over the internet. Extranet - Network that connects a company with its suppliers and distributors Follow-up - Maintain contact after the sale to ensure customer satisfaction. Guarantee - A promise that product will be repaired or replaced if faulty. Intranet - A network that connects people to each other within a company. Joint venture - A way of entering a foreign market by joining with a foreign company to manufacture or market a product or service. Market leader - The company with the largest market share in an industry. Mark up - Percentage of the price added to the cost to reach a selling price. Opinion leader - Person with a reference, who, because of competence, knowledge, or other characteristics, exerts influence on others. Packaging - Designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product. Product line - A group of products that are closely related. Prospect - A potential customer. Representative - A person who represents and sells for a company. Retail - To sell in small quantities, as in a shop, directly to customers. Viral marketing - The internet version of word-of-mouth marketing - email messages that customers pass on to friends.
The CATWOE checklist may be used to identify a problem, to prompt thinking about what you are really trying to achieve and to implement the solution and help consider the impact of the business and people involved.
Rational planning of production is desirable and is a possibility; there is a degree of stability needed to make rational planning feasible The company Staff
questions to ask yourself are: Who is on the receiving end? What problem do they have now? How will they react to your proposal? In this case, your employees are on the receiving end and are thus the clients. They will be directly affected by this change. Their problem is slow processing time due to a manual system. Their reactions may be mixed, as the more tech-savvy will welcome the change but older employees in the company may resist such a big change. Actors: The actors in a CATWOE checklist refers to the people involved in the implementation of the changes to the system, or business. A few questions to ask yourself are: Who are the actors who will be carrying out the changes to the system? What will its impact be on them? How will they react to the change? In the aforementioned example, this role would be of the automated system development team, the IT department, and to an extent the HR department. Transformation: The transformation is the total number of changes that the system or business undergoes. Questions to ask yourself are: What are the inputs and where do they come from? What are the outputs and where do they go? What steps are in between the transformation? In our example, the transformation would be the shift from a manual processing system to an automated one. Worldview: The worldview is the big picture and the impact at large of the transformed system or business. The entire system is analysed in this step to come up with the positive and negative impact of the change. This is the most crucial step in CATWOE analysis as different stakeholders may have different approaches to the same issue. The worldview defines why we want to implement the change to the system. The primary differences in the overall analysis will lie in this particular step, if each individual client were asked to do a CATWOE. Questions to ask yourself about the different worldviews are: What is the real problem you are working on? What is the wide scale impact of any solution? In our example, the impact at large to the system would be that the automation of the processing system increases the efficiency of the sales team, leading them to making more sales, and reduce time spent manually processing all sales. Owner: The owner or the decision maker is the one with authority to make and implement the changes to the system, stop the process or decide on whether to look at alternate solutions. A few questions to ask yourself about the owner are: Who is the real owner of the system you are trying to change? Will they assist you or get in your way? How can you get their help? In our example, the system owner would be the head of the sales team, while other key owners will also be involved, such as the HR and IT heads. Environmental constraints: Environmental constraints are external limitations that affect the success of the solution. These can range from budgetary limitations, regulations, ethical constraints, limits set by owners etc. A few questions to ask yourself about this step are: What are the broader constraints imposed on the situation? What are the more specific constraints and limitations? How can you get around them? In our example, some environmental constraints may be the expense of running an automated system, maintenance of the system leading to a higher strain on the IT department, lack of integration with current aspects of the system etc. The CATWOE model is used to identify and categorise all stakeholders of the system, or business, being analysed to come up with the root definition. The root definition is a structured definition of the system a clear statement of activities that take place in the system being studied. l
Use the following elements of the CATWOE checklist to stimulate thinking about the problem and solution during your brainstorming. Clients: The clients are the stakeholders who use the system, or rather the business. These are the people who will be directly affected by any change in the system and benefit or suffer from its outcome. The first step to a CATWOE checklist is to identify this group and understand how the system affects them. For example maybe your sales team is not meeting its quota because of an outdated processing system and you think introducing an automated system will expedite the process. A few
What is CATWOE?
CATWOE is a simple checklist for thinking and one of the generic techniques