In the news
Bangladeshi news sometimes is quite funny, absurd, amazing and also
downright shocking. In a lot of cases
you might get all of that in the same article.
Headline - Rotary to eradicate polio from World by 2013. Brill you cry - it gets better. In the opening para, the rotary governor
states categorically that he wants to 'eradicate police from the world by
2013'. An amusing Typo, but if the
criminal fraternity saw that, the Rotary membership may increase dramatically.
One article which amazed me and was regarding a government policy in
regards to new build housing. This is
where G8 and the UK could stop and listen.
The law was changed a couple of years ago, in that any new build
apartment / house could not obtain an electricity connection until they had
installed solar panels on the roof of the property.
Brilliant - leading the way I say.
Problem - all the developers are giving the usual moan, saying its too
expensive to do so. Hence they have
constructed their apartment blocks without the panels and hence they have no
electrity connection. Get this - the
developers are demanding that the connections should be made and, a new phrase
for you, the continuation of the opportunity to 'whiten black money without an
extra duty for the next five years'.
Talk about having your cake and eat it, that's of course if they had
power to bake it - ha!
Alongside. Another article which
demonstrates the hypocrisy of the Bangladeshi government. It sounds like a scene from a John Wayne
Western - cattle rustling in 21st century Bangladesh. It happens everyday, with Bangladeshis
smuggling cattle across the border from India illegally. There are 'cattle running mafias' enjoying
a lucrative business to meet the demand of Bangladeshi buyers for low cost meat. The Bangladesh government in true denying any
corruption exists style claims there is nothing to worry about or that there is
any illegality taking place. They call
it 'cattle trade' and hence no proper resolution with the Indian
Government. Ironically the Indian
Government doesn't want to legalise it fully.
A 'hot potato' it was called in the press. A meat and veg story to me?!
So what's the problem apart from
being illegal. The mafia use agents to
smuggle the cattle across the border.
The smuggler will probably only get 500 rupees (about £5.50).
For that they are
risking their life. Mind you the Indian
Border Security Force will try and take prisoners, but have now resorted to
lethal action, as they are sustaining too many life threatening injuries. Figures are bandied around, that over a 1000
Bangladeshis have lost their lives in the last decade. The BSF claim, that the force was gunned down
in 2010. In 2012 they claim 6 Bangladeshis died compared with a 100 injuries to
its force.
The press is full
of ying and yangs fully representing the country. On one side the government is taking a very
proactive approach with the environment and projecting that they are
anti-corruption, then fail spectacularly at the next hurdle resorting back to
status quo irrespective of what it is and more importantly - to the cost of
life. The politics of Bangladesh!