When we talk of power we are usually referring to that quality that governments, authorities and individuals have that invests them with the ability to make decisions. It can be arbitrary, corrupt even incompetent. Today Dhaka conversations about power are almost certainly confined to electricity, or more accurately the lack of it. Power shedding and outages have become the norm and today the government announced that it ad banned the use of AC from 6 to 11.00 pm each night in an attempt to conserve power for irrigating the boro crop (the winter planting). The lack of electricity affects all but the lack of AC is a particularly middle class problem. In either case it doesn't help the government popularity and makes me think that the diagnoses that the BNP only has to sit back and let the Awami League continue to stuff up if they want to return to power make be an accurate one. There's certainly an air of despondency around that can only get worse as it gets hotter. The issue of electricity needs looking at more closely but indicative of the problems was an announcement that the Khulna generator would come back on line after four years of failure to make good the repairs begun in 2006. Clearly incompetence and corruption are at work here.
Yesterday the New Age ran a front page story saying the government had asked all MPs to include development proposal in the budget claims 'irrespective' of whether they were practicable or not. Surely an invitation to pork barreling or corruption if ever I heard one.
Obviously I'm having a bad day! Very hard to remain optimistic despite reading Yunus' autobiography. Yesterday I went to a quiz night attended by the young, rich and foreign educated. The booze flowed and people enjoyed themselves but it was like living on another planet and difficult to reconcile with the poverty that confronts you as you drive through the slums in your nice air conditioned car!!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Violence in Bangladesh
The stand off over Crossfire continues with the police still preventing entry to Drik and the lawyers issuing writs against the police. Human Rights Watch has become involved and in general there is disquiet amongst the intelligentsia of Dhaka over the event. As Sir Humphrey would have said, 'it's the thin end of the wedge'. If the police are prepared to take such heavy-handed action over something as seemingly innocuous as Crossfire, then where does it end. Moreover, there a raft of issues that are much more in need of policing than Crossfire and Drik, and everyone is aware of this.
It seems that 129 people were killed in crossfire in Bangladesh in 2009. Crossfire is a euphemism for extra -judicial killing. RAB and the police summarily execute people, allegedly criminals, who it is alleged, get caught in the crossfire; the exchange of gunfire between RAB and the criminals. Few people accept this explanation but on one level there is a degree of toleration of the police actions as it is one a way of controlling the crime that is blighting Dhaka at the moment. This was certainly true when RAB was first formed as a means of combating the 'godfathers' of Dhaka crime who had emerged in the early 2000s, and who seemed to control the streets.
However, to claim that the Crossfire exhibition will encourage 'unrest' and 'anarchy' seems excessive and is indicative of how sensitive the issue is. It also highlights the level of violence that is actually happening in Dhaka, and Bangladesh, at the moment. Some examples:
1] The papers often print accounts of lynchings where people summarily kill muggers and thieves in the street. Nothing ever seems to be said about the lynchers; whether they apprehended and prosecuted, or whether it is all too hard and they are allowed to get away with their violent act.
2] There are frequent reports of businessmen being shot during robberies or over business disputes but rarely reports of successful prosecutions of the perpetrators.
3] I regard the behaviour on the roads as a form of violence. There are also reports of bus and truck drivers being lynched after a fatal accident.
4] There are the acid attacks, mostly on women.
5] There are also reports of unjust attacks on domestic servants, particularly young girls.
All societies live with undercurrents of violence so I'm not claiming that Dhaka is more violent than anywhere else, just that it is becoming more noticeable and I think that it is related to the intolerable pressure urban expansion and population growth are placing on normal everyday life in the city.
Finally, there is one other aspect of violence in Bangladesh that can't be ignored and that is the outrageous behaviour of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and the manner in which it continues to kill Bangladeshis who stray across the border. I have raised this matter with some police advisers here in Bangladesh and their response was; they're probably smugglers! So, you deserve to die if you smuggle? I think not. There have been recent discussions between India and Bangladesh on the issue but the BSF still seems to be quite happily shooting people that cross the border, and this is in areas where the border is ill-defined or arbitrarily drawn across villages and communities. In other jurisdiction this situation would be condemned.
It seems that 129 people were killed in crossfire in Bangladesh in 2009. Crossfire is a euphemism for extra -judicial killing. RAB and the police summarily execute people, allegedly criminals, who it is alleged, get caught in the crossfire; the exchange of gunfire between RAB and the criminals. Few people accept this explanation but on one level there is a degree of toleration of the police actions as it is one a way of controlling the crime that is blighting Dhaka at the moment. This was certainly true when RAB was first formed as a means of combating the 'godfathers' of Dhaka crime who had emerged in the early 2000s, and who seemed to control the streets.
However, to claim that the Crossfire exhibition will encourage 'unrest' and 'anarchy' seems excessive and is indicative of how sensitive the issue is. It also highlights the level of violence that is actually happening in Dhaka, and Bangladesh, at the moment. Some examples:
1] The papers often print accounts of lynchings where people summarily kill muggers and thieves in the street. Nothing ever seems to be said about the lynchers; whether they apprehended and prosecuted, or whether it is all too hard and they are allowed to get away with their violent act.
2] There are frequent reports of businessmen being shot during robberies or over business disputes but rarely reports of successful prosecutions of the perpetrators.
3] I regard the behaviour on the roads as a form of violence. There are also reports of bus and truck drivers being lynched after a fatal accident.
4] There are the acid attacks, mostly on women.
5] There are also reports of unjust attacks on domestic servants, particularly young girls.
All societies live with undercurrents of violence so I'm not claiming that Dhaka is more violent than anywhere else, just that it is becoming more noticeable and I think that it is related to the intolerable pressure urban expansion and population growth are placing on normal everyday life in the city.
Finally, there is one other aspect of violence in Bangladesh that can't be ignored and that is the outrageous behaviour of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and the manner in which it continues to kill Bangladeshis who stray across the border. I have raised this matter with some police advisers here in Bangladesh and their response was; they're probably smugglers! So, you deserve to die if you smuggle? I think not. There have been recent discussions between India and Bangladesh on the issue but the BSF still seems to be quite happily shooting people that cross the border, and this is in areas where the border is ill-defined or arbitrarily drawn across villages and communities. In other jurisdiction this situation would be condemned.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Reading
There are none of the distractions of home in Dhaka so I can concentrate on things. Current projects are a book (collection of essays by colleagues) on the Bangladesh media. Surprisingly (may be not) there's nothing out there apart from a few attempts to promote development communication and a few dispersed essays, so we have high hopes. A second book is also being worked, which is much more polemical- an attack on the dominant development communication paradigm that is so popular with NGOs here in Bangladesh. I'm also toying with an idea for a coffee table book on the markets of Dhaka with Shahjahan Siraj. More of these later.
I als get the opportunity to read a lot and have just finished Shazia Omar's Like a Diamond in the Sky(Penguin India), which is a young persons' novel about the rich brats of Gulshan and Banani, who drink, take drugs and have sex -frequently in all cases - and generally behave as another species. It's certainly difficult to relate them to the poor you see in the street or the students I teach although I'm reliably informed Shazia reports pretty accurately a stratum of Bangladesh society few people know about. Its a sharp reminder that you can't generalise about Bangladesh as there's too much diversity. It's also a sharp reminder of the discrepancies that exist; between the very rich and the abject poor. What's interesting is that the most attractive and positive character in the book comes from the poor and its not a saccharine portrayal; Lalliana, knows her place, recognises the injustice but gets on with it anyway. I can't say I felt much empathy with the rich kids or really enjoyed the book but it is an interesting take on contemporary Dhaka that avoids the earnestness of much contemporary Bangladeshi writing.
The other reading is Willem van Schelden's History of Bangladesh (Cambridge). Brilliant!
I als get the opportunity to read a lot and have just finished Shazia Omar's Like a Diamond in the Sky(Penguin India), which is a young persons' novel about the rich brats of Gulshan and Banani, who drink, take drugs and have sex -frequently in all cases - and generally behave as another species. It's certainly difficult to relate them to the poor you see in the street or the students I teach although I'm reliably informed Shazia reports pretty accurately a stratum of Bangladesh society few people know about. Its a sharp reminder that you can't generalise about Bangladesh as there's too much diversity. It's also a sharp reminder of the discrepancies that exist; between the very rich and the abject poor. What's interesting is that the most attractive and positive character in the book comes from the poor and its not a saccharine portrayal; Lalliana, knows her place, recognises the injustice but gets on with it anyway. I can't say I felt much empathy with the rich kids or really enjoyed the book but it is an interesting take on contemporary Dhaka that avoids the earnestness of much contemporary Bangladeshi writing.
The other reading is Willem van Schelden's History of Bangladesh (Cambridge). Brilliant!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dhaka
Well I promised a daily post once I returned to Dhaka but that hasn't happened and as always there are reasons/excuses. First I was overwhelmed by the impact of the city on my senses. How to adjust to the noise, traffic, masses of people and so on. And then I was ambushed by all of the little germs of Dhaka, just waiting for me to arrive and infect me. Fortunately I'm recovering but I've felt pretty awful for most of the past week.
A few things today and then tomorrow I will begin properly.
I'm staying at the Ambrosia, an old-fashioned guesthouse in Dhanmondi, that has seen better days but remains gracious and popular among Bedeshis. The guys that work here are helpful and obliging, the food is excellent and the rooms quite spacious and clean. What more could you ask for?
I arrived on Saturday. On Sunday I went for a walk to Dhanmondi Lake, which provides a nice shaded walk during the day. I hadn't been to this particular part before and I was taking photographs. Suddenly a man jumped up and started shouting at me in Bengali. I looked around and realised there was an army presence as well as police presence and the roads were barricaded. I had stumbled on the edge of the area where Sheikh Hasina lives and thus out of bound to the likes of me.
Today I was invited to the opening of Shahidul Alam's photographic exhibition Cross Fire, which would be held in conjunction with the launch of the new Pathshala: South Asian Media Academy being built in the Drik compound. Aswe approached Drik we noticed a fairly large crowd milling outside the gates and then we noticed the 50 or 60 police standing in front of the gates. Nobody was allowed in so the inauguration occurred in the street. It seems that somebody in the government had taken exception to the topic and ordered its closure. Foolish move given the amout of press coverage, the number of Bedeshis there and the probable arrival of the Dutch Ambassador. After a whil it was clear the police would not budge and although storming the barricades was jokingly referred to nobody was in the mood to provoke the police, so we left.
It's interesting that in one week I've had two brushes with the police. This needs to be reflected upon.
Why is Crossfire such a sensitive issue? The term refers to the announcemnts in the press that such and such was 'killed in the crossfire' as the RAB (Rapid Action Battalion, all dressed in black and licensed to kill) fight he goondas and others. Shahidul can be provocative but without seeing the images its difficult to know why the authorities are so upset. Hopefully it will be open tomorrow and then I can comment further. And yes, the RAB are pretty scary!
Finally, there are more political posters up than ever before (as far as I can recall) particularly from the AL; images of Sheikh Mujiba Rahman and Sheikh Hasina striking herois poses. Very redolent of soviet socialist art, Mao and the cult of personality. I have to learn to upload photos.
A few things today and then tomorrow I will begin properly.
I'm staying at the Ambrosia, an old-fashioned guesthouse in Dhanmondi, that has seen better days but remains gracious and popular among Bedeshis. The guys that work here are helpful and obliging, the food is excellent and the rooms quite spacious and clean. What more could you ask for?
I arrived on Saturday. On Sunday I went for a walk to Dhanmondi Lake, which provides a nice shaded walk during the day. I hadn't been to this particular part before and I was taking photographs. Suddenly a man jumped up and started shouting at me in Bengali. I looked around and realised there was an army presence as well as police presence and the roads were barricaded. I had stumbled on the edge of the area where Sheikh Hasina lives and thus out of bound to the likes of me.
Today I was invited to the opening of Shahidul Alam's photographic exhibition Cross Fire, which would be held in conjunction with the launch of the new Pathshala: South Asian Media Academy being built in the Drik compound. Aswe approached Drik we noticed a fairly large crowd milling outside the gates and then we noticed the 50 or 60 police standing in front of the gates. Nobody was allowed in so the inauguration occurred in the street. It seems that somebody in the government had taken exception to the topic and ordered its closure. Foolish move given the amout of press coverage, the number of Bedeshis there and the probable arrival of the Dutch Ambassador. After a whil it was clear the police would not budge and although storming the barricades was jokingly referred to nobody was in the mood to provoke the police, so we left.
It's interesting that in one week I've had two brushes with the police. This needs to be reflected upon.
Why is Crossfire such a sensitive issue? The term refers to the announcemnts in the press that such and such was 'killed in the crossfire' as the RAB (Rapid Action Battalion, all dressed in black and licensed to kill) fight he goondas and others. Shahidul can be provocative but without seeing the images its difficult to know why the authorities are so upset. Hopefully it will be open tomorrow and then I can comment further. And yes, the RAB are pretty scary!
Finally, there are more political posters up than ever before (as far as I can recall) particularly from the AL; images of Sheikh Mujiba Rahman and Sheikh Hasina striking herois poses. Very redolent of soviet socialist art, Mao and the cult of personality. I have to learn to upload photos.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Lapse
I can apologise for the long delay between postings. This doesn't mean that I've lost interest in Bangladesh, far from it, but I have had other things to occupy my mind since Christmas. However, I'm happy to announce, I'm back and that I will be returning to Dhaka on Saturday (13th March 2010) so expect daily postings.
In the meantime I continue to read the Daily Star. At times this blog could be seen as a running commentary this paper, which is after all the pre-eminent English language newspaper in the country. But I hope not.
More later, but I will leave you with an observation of a friend on the political situation: nothing has fundamentally changed! Make what you will of that.
In the meantime I continue to read the Daily Star. At times this blog could be seen as a running commentary this paper, which is after all the pre-eminent English language newspaper in the country. But I hope not.
More later, but I will leave you with an observation of a friend on the political situation: nothing has fundamentally changed! Make what you will of that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
