Opinion
Sheikh Hasina: A legend in her own lifetime
We may not have a Joe Biden to add a new chapter to American history or a Vladimir Putin to push back the boundaries of Russian territory by military might; we may not have a Xi Jinping to invite the world to his 'Belt and Road Initiative' or a Narendra Modi to shepherd Indians towards a one-family world (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam); we may not have an Angela Merkel to try hard to make good the war damage and reshape a new Germany or a Justin Trudeau to dream of a just society in an unjust world – but we have a Sheikh Hasina, our dearly beloved Prime Minister, whose dearest wish is simply to bring smiles to millions of faces.
Her worthy father, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman too longed for this. It's no small thing to bring smiles to people's faces. People meant the world to Bangabandhu and it is all the same to Hasina too. Putting smiles on faces of the have-nots embodies the very essence of her political philosophy.
Read: PM Hasina’s 76th birthday Wednesday
Sheikh Hasina is a legend in her own lifetime. Love of people is her life force. She is our Paramount Leader. We don't need anybody else at this moment in time to promise us the moon or the land of milk and honey. We are quite content with a Bangladesh which has survived the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic and whose people are still having a square meal and sheltered accommodation while countries like Sri Lanka have gone bankrupt. Against all the odds at home and abroad, Bangladesh is rising through the ranks from 'the Basket Case' to 'the Emerging Tiger' under the visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina – our longest serving and larger than life premier.
We are a peaceable nation. But we understand war. We have bought our independence at the cost of blood, sweat and tears and we will sustain it at all costs. But we don't want to assert dominance over others, we only want to assert our rights. We want our fair share of the cake – in our lands, waters and the skies. We don't poke our nose into others' affairs, nor do we want others to stick theirs into ours. We foster friendship with all and bear grudges against none. This is what the Father of the Nation taught us and we abide by. Our visions, missions and core values as an independent nation are shaping up nicely in the hands of our dynamic and forward-looking premier, Sheikh Hasina.
Read: Special publication launched lauding PM Hasina's extraordinary leadership
This is the fourth time Sheikh Hasina is serving the country as Prime Minister. But it was never plane sailing. She has survived as many as twenty attempts on her life after the assassination of Bangabandhu. The enemies were common and lots more have been added to the list. Her strong personality, iron will and lifelong commitment to the Liberation War ideals earned her the enmity of people opposed to them. She faces opposition at home and abroad but never gives in. Despite the World Bank's deliberate non-cooperation in the country's largest construction project, US Government's sanctions on the elite paramilitary force RAB (Rapid Action Battalion), and the global post-COVID-19 economic depression, Sheikh Hasina is carrying on with her development work.
Hasina is easily the epitome of what a prime minister of a 50-year-old country and a custodian of a nascent economy should be like. As one of us, she is guiding 160 million people on how to reach a common goal. We have seen her cooking food in the kitchen, wearing a handloom saree, wrapping its edge around her waist and grinding spices on the stone with her own hands; we have also seen her making rabble-rousing speeches at the Paltan Maidan. We have seen her walking barefoot on the sandy shores of the beach; we have also seen her taking local rickshaw van rides among village folks breaking security barriers. We have seen her giving the Rohingya children big hugs at their ramshackle camps; and we have also seen her striking the war criminals with iron fists. Hasina is a beautiful blend of simplicity and toughness.
Read PM: Returning from UNGA with friendship for Bangladesh
Today is Sheikh Hasina's 76th birthday. Wishes come flooding in from home and abroad. I have also a lot to say. But words fail me. On Tagore's 80th birthday as Mahatma Gandhi sent a telegram saying "Four score not enough. May you finish five", Tagore, wearied of age and illness, replied with thanks: "Four score is impertinence [and] five score intolerable." But on her 76th birthday, our HPM is quite hale and hearty. She enjoys life through work. She gently scolds the newsmen for reminding her of her age just for the fun of it. For sure she has proved that she has the 'impertinence' to live for 4 score years minus 4; and to finish full four and then five will not, perhaps, be 'intolerable' to her as it never appears that she has outlived her usefulness. She has approached 76 chronologically, but age could not wither her. She never feels old and weary. Except for 5 hours of sleep a day, she spends the rest of the time thinking of the good of her country and her people. She could have died with her parents on that fateful August night in 1975. But she survived. Maybe, in the nation's relay race, nature wanted Bangabandhu's baton to be passed on to her. Fortune smiled upon Bangladesh and we had Sheikh Hasina as the worthy heir of Bangabandhu and to his politics. She is our pride and joy.
Read What PM said on Russia-Ukraine war, Rohingya issue, climate action, terrorism at 77th UNGA
The writer is an academic, fictionist, columnist, translator, media personality and former vice chancellor of Kushtia Islamic University, Bangladesh. Email: [email protected]
World News Day: We’re all entitled to our opinions but not our own facts
Making a positive difference to someone’s life is the greatest gift a journalist can give. Perhaps an individual is heard for the first time, or an injustice is settled.
Those moments when a news editor picks up a phone to hear a scared voice say, ‘you are all I have left, I have nowhere else to turn’. The last stand between hope and defeat.
It is a sacred contract, as old as journalism itself yet the tenor of our times would try to divide the people from the newsrooms. If those who attempt to turn journalists into the enemy are successful, the people’s right to independent access to information will be lost. And as we all know a world where people are blinded from facts is a dangerous one.
During the global pandemic, record audience numbers were reported around the world as readers, viewers and listeners absorbed the news and information that saved lives. Nevertheless, an ever more vociferous minority pedalled a derogatory term, the so-called “mainstream media” – as if being together in a fact-based environment is a bad thing.
Read: Survey finds young people follow news, but without much joy
That’s because the facts can sometimes be uncomfortable, and journalists have a big responsibility to get them right.
We know that since World News Day began in 2018, the challenges facing the industry have only grown. We may better understand the commercial pressures and the ever-changing audience habits, but we still don’t do enough to explain ourselves.
That means newsrooms have their work cut out. Explaining methodology and how facts are uncovered has become as important as the facts themselves.
Those who are potential audience members consume most of their information in closed, fast-paced networks. We have seen examples time and again where small but active minority groups simply believe what they are told, often by powerful forces with something to hide. The journalist is used as bait in an attack against uncomfortable truths. As a result, the industry has to devote more time to reaching those who have already decided the facts even without possessing them.
Read: Philippines affirms news site shutdown order: Maria Ressa
Walled environments exist across the Internet preventing plurality of thought and opinion, fact and reality from being shared. Amid the myriad challenges facing us all, certainty is one of the least attractive traits on display.
World News Day, involving more than 500 newsrooms, is a global initiative aimed at improving media literacy and audience engagement. We include examples of how lives are improved when journalists tell a story. We showcase the efforts of small newsrooms as they represent the importance of community. We underpin all our work with the belief that access to information is a human right.
The speed of change, and the dangers and risks in society sometimes seem only to go in one direction leading to a global audience that is both exhausted and saturated with information. We have constructive roles to play amid the extraordinary news developments.
Read: No point in debating newspapers publishing video content online: Editors' Council
The convening power of independent journalism has never been more important, and sadly because of that hyper-relevance the risks and threats to journalists, your storytellers, only grows. The speed of polarization, an 18th century term used originally to identify the characteristics of light in photography, today makes agreement unfashionable. But as newsrooms around the world often say, we are all entitled to our opinions but we are not entitled to our own facts.
War, economic uncertainty, a determination to run roughshod over generational practices at our institutions are the changes facing the world. Journalism at its best is in the middle of it all, with a role to sew not division but mutual understanding and transparency.
World News Day exists to help the news industry to explain itself better, to involve the global audience in showcasing how accurate information makes life better.
The US president, Joe Biden, was born closer to Abraham Lincoln’s presidency than his own. That perspective shows less the age of the man and more the opportunities and advances that have been taken in the past century, raising with urgency the questions of where we go from here.
About the author:
David Walmsley is the Editor in Chief of the Globe and Mail and is the creator of World News Day.
Women and Men’s Cricket : Same day same game same win margin but …
Bangladesh women beat Ireland by 7 runs and Bangladesh men beat UAE by 7 runs in a rare coincidence, but it meant two very different reactions. The women’s team took the WC Qualifiers trophy three times in a row with yesterday’s victory, though Ireland fought hard.
Bangladesh men also played a practice match against a lowly rated UAE and had a close win, but it was embarrassing to watch. One team is going up while the other is in decline.
Read: A narrow escape: Bangladesh beat UAE by 7 runs in 1st T20
The Women
Bangladesh and Ireland Women, the two finalists, had already reached the World Cup stage, so the stake was low. However, it showed some interesting features.
The BD Women’s team is strong, but it still lacks the killer blow delivery capacity that a team needs to win on the global stage. Bangladesh did win the Asia Cup, beating India, but India has gone ahead and beat England last week. The West Indies men's team is not particularly strong, but their women's team—previous cup winners—is. So Bangladesh had better watch out about the possibility of bad days on the big stage.
Both India and Pakistan have also improved, and India’s 3-0 win against England last week is a reminder that while we did beat them, it’s not the same team anymore. And SA and others have better records than us.
One reason why the women’s team is not pushing up as much as it could be is a lack of sponsorship and investment. Globally, women’s cricket has yet to catch on, so ICC dole money is low for the qualifying countries. The media has only recently begun to get interested, and so promoting it as a money-making sport is important. This is already happening, but not enough. But betting sites are already active, which means more crowds and that will hopefully translate into funds for Women cricket.
Performance wise, Bangladesh women still remain inconsistent. Its batting is below par and the fall of 8 wickets in 5 overs, including 3 in the last, means much more improvement is needed. While others are hitting sixes, BDW rarely do. Its strength remains in bowling, but a difference of only 7 runs in the final means it could have gone the other way.
What was least impressive was the fielding. The girls didn't look fit and seemed sluggish in running and releasing the ball back. It was obvious Ireland took advantage of that to accumulate. But they won, and that is great.
Read: Bangladesh champions of ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022
And the Men ?
The least said about the men, the better. They were perfect clowns on the field and could neither bat nor bowl. Their fielding was spectacular as everyone, from commentators to spectators, ran out of words to describe them. If they have to sweat so much to beat an associate status team I think everyone should accept that it’s also at that level and not the test status.
So we will suffer more as we watch the men get bashed by everyone in the next WC. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope to get some relief from the women's team's WC performance in South Africa next February.
Read: Shakib Al Hasan shines in Caribbean Premier League
Rohingya problem needs a regional solution, Australian security expert writes
Trouble is once more breaking out at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Following multiple military incursions by the Myanmar military across the border, the Bangladesh Army is on high alert and is reviewing its options. Regarding Bangladesh's intentions to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees who are not accepted in their country, both parties are attempting to position themselves.
As this most recent altercation develops, it becomes clear that the Rohingya problem requires a regional solution, writes Dr David Brewster – one of Australia’s leading academic experts on strategy and security in the Indian Ocean region and South Asia – in Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter.
The Tatmadaw, the Myanmar military, has increasingly violated Bangladeshi territory over the past few weeks. This has included helicopter and jet overflights as well as shelling of areas close to Bangladeshi villages. The most recent incident occurred on September 16 and entailed a mortar attack on the refugee camp in "No Man's Land," which is located directly on the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The narrow border between the two nations has stranded thousands of Rohingya refugees for years. In the incident last week, five people were hurt, including Bangladeshis, and at least one person died.
These events can be considered a spillover from the ongoing separatist struggle in Rakhine State, Myanmar. But Bangladeshi officials privately feel that the Tatmadaw is deliberately attempting to sabotage the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh in order to thwart the planned return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. They wonder whether it is merely a coincidence that these episodes took place a few days before Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's speech to the UN General Assembly, during which she would ask for support from other countries for Bangladesh's intentions to repatriate the Rohingyas.
Read: Hasina breaks down in tears while talking about everyday ordeals of Rohingyas
Since 2017, after being ethnically cleansed from Rakhine State by Myanmar government forces and local nationalist groups, about one million Rohingya refugees have sought safety in Bangladesh. As their fate is increasingly in doubt between Bangladesh and Myanmar, a conflict between the two nations is theoretically on the horizon if the issue is not handled, Dr Brewster writes.
With aid from the international community, Bangladesh has established sizable camps close to the Myanmar border as a kind host for the Rohingya refugees. But as financing and attention from abroad dwindle and local Bangladeshi groups grow more hostile to the refugees, the pressure on the Bangladesh government from inside grows. The Bangladesh government must appear to be making serious efforts to repatriate refugees or find other places for them to live since elections are scheduled for the next year.
Early in 2022, Bangladesh and Myanmar resumed talks to repatriate a small number of Rohingyas to that country, with China helping to fund the construction of at least three receiving centres inside Myanmar. The pressure on Myanmar is now being increased by Bangladesh, who is also backing a case brought by the Gambia before the International Court of Justice alleging Myanmar of committing genocide. The UN General Assembly talk Sheikh Hasina gave this week is a part of an effort to keep the Rohingya problem, including their repatriation, in the public eye.
However, there is no reason to think that the Rakhine nationalists or the Myanmar government, who forcibly ejected the Rohingyas, would ever welcome their return. In fact, there has recently been discussion about removing even more of the surviving Rohingyas from Myanmar.
The latest border events are being viewed by the Bangladeshi administration in the context of its efforts to mobilise the international community in support of repatriations. The Tatmadaw's actions seem designed to elicit a reaction from Bangladesh. Planned repatriations could be stopped and more refugees could leave Myanmar under the cover of an insecure border and the fighting in Rakhine State, Dr Brewster writes.
Is it Arakan Army or Tatmadaw?
Bangladesh continues to be a collateral victim of Myanmar’s internal politics and Indo-China rivalry in the region. The latest border problem is a result of the Myanmar government’s continuing war with the Arakan Army (AA), one of the most organized ethnic rebel groups inside Myanmar. Yangon has told Bangladesh that the shells landing in Bangladesh were actually lobbed by the AA. The sub-text added was that AA wants to see worsening BD-Myanmar relations.
Bangladesh media has been portraying the issue as a Myanmar-BD problem but facts always don’t support this. The AA is also fully supported by China who is using them and other rebel groups to spread its influence in the eastern side of the region.
India fears that this is meant to weaken its position in the region. It has always been wary of rebel activities in Myanmar. And it’s not just because of shared ethnic groups in both countries who are militant too. Both Pakistan and China have supported such groups hoping to gain advantage against India, their media says.
Also read: Fear grips border areas as Myanmar fighter jets fire towards Bangladesh
The Arakan Army and Myanmar
Myanmar has said that the Arakan Army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) both from the Rakhine zone- are responsible for the recent troubles. This message was conveyed to the Bangladesh's ambassador in Yangon recently. Incidentally, both groups are fighting Yangon and have often taken shelter in Bangladesh’s hilly areas.
The reason why there appears to be a sudden escalation within Myanmar for the last 3/4 weeks is because the central authority is weakening due to its economic difficulties. However, the official army is also able to strike back strongly and hence the escalation.
U Zaw Phyo Win, a top official -director-general of the foreign ministry's Strategic Studies and Training Department- at Myanmar's foreign ministry, called in Ambassador Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury to clarify the situation.
Recent armed encounters in Myanmar between the AA and official forces have seen body counts on both sides and a police outpost in Maungdaw Township was captured by the rebels.
“The director general expressed Myanmar's willingness to work with Bangladesh to maintain tranquility along the border and stressed the significance of "full and reciprocal cooperation" in that regard. (BDnews24)
Shelter in Bangladesh: ARSA
Myanmar has also informed that both AA and ARSA have shelters inside Bangladeshi and asked for the termination of the same. This is a fact but it’s not a political shelter as part of any Bangladeshi intent.
ARSA or similar groups such as Rohingya Liberation Front (RLF) was sheltered and trained and supplied with arms by Bangladesh during the 1992-93 period when Rohingyas came in. Pakistan’s ISI helped the operation and it was mentioned in the local media also. Later, most of the refugees returned home and the weapons’ left behind by these groups used to be regularly found in the hilly areas of Cox’s Bazar.
Also read: Myanmar’s shelling inside Bangladesh “unintentional mistake”, Momen says in NY
Current Rohingya refugees have a smattering of ARSA activists among them but are hardly a serious threat. They appear to have been dormant in the last few years without a major sponsor. However, Myanmar has always used them as an excuse to push out Rohingyas and blame Bangladesh.
The Arakan Army
The Arakan Army is a very different ball game because its way more serious with near official support by China and links with other China supported groups inside Myanmar. China does have a huge stake in the region and the lack of any central authority has allowed China to build its base in that troubled zone.
The AA group has sophisticated weaponry including 50 of the MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) surface-to-air missiles.
This outfit does have shelter in the Bandarban area including Naikahanchari where they apparently have significant sized camps. BGB leaves them alone and rightly as it can’t afford to risk a large-scale confrontation. The famine a few years back that struck that area may have been caused by AA forbidding harvesting for a period of time.
Can Dhaka do much?
Briefing ambassadors from ASEAN countries, Rear Admiral Md Khurshed Alam, acting secretary of foreign affairs said “We took in the Rohingya five years ago and they have not taken a single one back. As our prime minister has said, we are working on the matter patiently. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
When told that Myanmar has blamed the rebels, Khurshed said: “They have been saying similar things since the start.”
Bangladesh can neither afford a war it can’t win nor expect the problem to go away. The matter is not in Bangladesh or even Myanmar’s hands as it’s obvious that big power politics dominates the conflict which has resulted in the current situation.
The refugees are not going home soon either. Unless China trains the AA better to fire missiles and helps the Myanmar military to envision a peace deal in which more than half the country is not under official state authority, these border trifles will go on. For Bangladesh the focus should be more on the Teesta barrage project where BD-China interests slot in smoothly.
Women's Cricket: Bangladesh just manages to beat Thailand to reach the World Cup
The score line doesn’t say how close and thrilling the match was, stretched to the final over by the determined batting of Thai star Chantham . She hit consecutive sixes in the 18th over + a four and made the expected by all victory almost not so. In the 20th over Thailand needed 21 runs to win and when she hit a six and a 4 a Thai win was very possible. But she fell in the 4th ball making the equation impossible unless an extra ball was included. Salma castled her and also the next batter in the final ball of the match, making Bangladesh victory a nerve racking win. Congrats but watch out Bangladesh. Others wait in the wings.115 for 3 was never enough The ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa is scheduled for February 2023. Given the results Bangladesh and Ireland have now both qualified after winning their semis. Ireland (137 for 6) had a very close shave beating Zimbabwe 133 for 6 by just four runs. Bangladesh beat Thailand by11 runs. By all counts the semis were very competitive.Bangladesh lost the toss and went to bat first but it was heavy weather. Powerplay saw them score only 27/0. BD star Fargana Hoque went out immediately after that, making batting slow work. Thailand did very well by taking four more wickets. BD top order failed and few starts were converted to decent scores. Skipper Nigar Sultana made 17 off 24 balls before getting out in the 15th over.
Also read: Bangladesh vs Ireland: ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 final match previewIn the end, it was Rumana Ahmed’s 24-ball 28 in the later part of the innings that in hindsight looks like the most valuable contribution given the margin of victory. Bangladesh posted 113/5, which was below par. Thais fight backBangladesh bowling was much more impressive taking three Thailand wickets conceding only 13 runs in the first six overs. But then came Natthakan Chantham who became the Thai rock which Bangladesh couldn’t budge. While BD bowling was positive and the run rate was low till the 16th, she broke free in the last 3 critical overs. Two sixes and a four gave 22 to Thailand to score and as the final over dawned Chantham did score a 6 and a 4 but was bowled by Salma Khatun in the 5th ball. The last wicket was a bonus cherry at the top as Salma took home 3 wickets for 18 runs. Sanjida Akhtar got 2.For Thailand, Chantham made her fifth half-century and was rightly given the player of the match award."We have been playing together for so many years, this is our time to show the world how good we are, how much we have improved as a side," Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said after the win. "There are a lot of experienced and talented players on our side, and we need to show the kind of potential we have."
Also read: Tigresses book ticket to T20 World Cup 2023 beating ThailandBangladesh 113 for 5 (Rumana 28*, Murshida 26, Kanoh 1-13) beat Thailand 102 for 6 (Chantham 64, Salma 3-18, Sanjida 2-7) by 11 runs.
Iran’s problem: Politics or food inflation?
Global food inflation is a major problem that goes unnoticed by the media in general. Politics is more exciting so the issue comes only when linked to it. Street movements are more interesting than data on extreme food denial. The causal factors that lead to many of these unrests are ignored. Two cases in point are Sri Lanka and Iran.
Iran’s inflation misery
Iran was considered an economically stable country but events show that era is largely over.
Iran’s overall annual inflation rose to 41.5 percent according to the Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) at the end August 2022. The rate has accelerated since May.
Rents, medicine, restaurant food, and snack foods have gone up but prices of chicken and hydrogenated cooking oil dropped slightly. However, this was marginal and so was the effect as prices were already very high. General food price inflation continues to hit Iran which is continuing for the last several years.
Read: At least 26 dead from protests in Iran, suggests its state TV
“The overall nationwide point-to-point annual food inflation rate in June 2022 compared with the same period in 2021 was 87 percent but the rate reached 100 percent in parts of Iran.” (SCI)
Prices sprinted up since May when Iran decided to drop a food import subsidy costing $15 billion dollars every year. It was billed as the ‘great economic surgery’ but led to extreme price rise for food staples, such as bread, pasta, dairy products, cooking oil and meat.
Iranian media report that President Ebrahim Raisi announced on TV that the government would pay a monthly stipend of “around 4 million rials (about $15) to 30 percent of the population at the lowest-income groups, and around 3 million to 60 percent of the population. The 10 percent at the highest income level would receive no cash handouts”
It’s obvious that such payments could be worth as high as $10 billion annually which means more money printing and hence more inflation. Food subsidies had less risk of inflation.
“Economists say lower income people experience a higher rate of inflation as they spend more of their income on essential foods and often forsake anything deemed as luxury. With back-to-back high inflation since 2018, many missile class people have dropped to low-income status.” Tejarat News
Lowest income groups spend more than 40% of their budget for food while the better off spend less than 17% in Iran. Iranian media says that goods are not in shortage but buying is less.
Mahasa Amini and US sanctions
Meanwhile, media coverage is focused on the death of activist Mahasa Amini who died while in custody. She was arrested for wearing “inappropriate clothes” as described by the Iranian police. Al Jazeera reports, “the US Department of the Treasury sanctioned the country’s “morality police”, as well as seven leaders of Iranian security organisations that it said “routinely employ violence to suppress peaceful protesters and members of Iranian civil society, political dissidents, women’s rights activists, and members of the Iranian Baha’i community”. This basically means the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Core ( IRGC) or the “morality police''.
Read: Protests over hijab: Iranians experience near-total internet blackout
Iranian police have denied “torturing her to death” in custody but the public resentment against the official world is high among the younger section that have held demos and chanted slogans. The Iranian regime's source of strength is the lower income groups but if they are hit hard as it’s happening now, political turmoil is inevitable.
That doesn’t translate into regime change as many are hoping but the turmoil is here to stay. Once more, events show that economics, not ideology, decides the fate of states.
Rise and rise of Bangladesh women and football
The Nepalese sports commentator was ecstatic as the third goal by Bangladesh was scored against India. “It’s the golden girls from Bangladesh who represent the golden era of the sports who are playing here.” It could very well be true.
With hard work, a sense of national duty and a resolve to beat the top team in South Asia, Bangladesh did exactly that in the SAFF Football championship. They defeated India in the final group game by a 3-0 margin. It was an incredible historic victory because India had never been beaten before in the SAFF women’s football championship.
Bangladesh had met India 10 times and lost 9 times with just one draw. Whether at the semi-final or the finals, Bangladesh’s nemesis was India. On Tuesday 13th of September, that spell ended and Bangladesh beat India not just comprehensively but went to the top of the team with 9 points. 1-0 would have been fine but the margin indicated the growing strength of the Bangladeshis team.
Read: The cricket fan, the migrants workers and experts
Unexpected win?
The Indian team expected a fight perhaps but not a defeat. Its manager told the media that the match plan was to go to the top of the table. More importantly though for India, the records spoke for itself. They had beaten Bangladesh every time bar once so why not once more?
Here is what Indian sports website khelnow.com had said about the forthcoming India-BD match.
“The Indian women’s team is dominating the ongoing 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship. The tournament is taking place in Kathmandu, Nepal and attracting a lot of attention. India is the defending champion; in fact, the nation has won all five of the previous editions of the tournament. Judging by the opening two matches and their outcomes, it will be difficult for any opposition to stop the juggernaut that is the Indian women’s football team.”
Read: Bangladesh vs Nepal: SAFF Women's Championship 2022 road to final
“The upcoming match against Bangladesh will be the final Group A fixture, one that India will hope to win comfortably and finish as group leaders. Their opponents have also won their opening two matches and have a good chance to cause an upset on Tuesday.”
So very confident but just ensuring they didn’t sound over-confident.
Bangladesh had beaten Maldives 3-0 and Pakistan 6-0 while India beat the same teams 9-0 and 3-0 so the two were definitely the two top teams. But once the game began, India seemed below par, often outclassed. Here is an excerpt from an Indian live blog on the game after the second goal was scored.
“IND 0-2 BAN, 25 min: Bangladesh deserve their two-goal lead. Watching them play, you wouldn’t say they are ranked 147 in the Fifa rankings, 89 places below India. Ashalata Devi and Co looks shell shocked here. The passes aren’t coming off and they are not able to resist the Bangladeshi press." (The Wire)
Read SAFF Women's Champs: Bangladesh storm into final crushing Bhutan 8-0 in first semifinal
And Bangladesh?
In the pre-match interview Bangladesh team captain Sabina Khatun had said something significant. “We know India is a very strong and professional team with lots of experience. They are ranked above us. But we beat Malaysia who was also ranked above us. We will give our best. “It’s this quiet confidence that saw them win.
Chances of Bangladesh stumbling against Bhutan in the semi-final are there though the chances are remote given the form it has now. However, one can never say for sure because Bangladesh’s victory against India was also unexpected. Nevertheless, one thinks Bangladesh will make it.
The Bangladesh team is definitely showing more maturity as the team players and management told the media. Sirat Jahan Swapna, who scored twice for Bangladesh against India said, “All the celebration was done and finished in the field. Once we returned to our hotel, treated our injured and iced our muscle aches and pain. We know how important the semifinal is. We are entirely focused on the semis. There is no question of taking Bhutan lightly. They reached the semis based on their merit and we shall treat them with the respect they deserve.”
Read SAFF Women's Champs: Bangladesh to play Bhutan in semifinal on Friday
In many ways, the soccer team sounds very different from the overrated cricket team. They are full of bluster and money and often are in news for out of sports matters. Their press conferences are full of bluster, whether it’s Papon the head honcho or the fresher in the team. Sadly, they haven’t been able to match the bluster with their performance. To many they are both overrated and overfed while the women’s soccer or cricket teams are examples of neglect.
A reputation beyond borders
Former Pakistan senior men’s team assistant coach and Masha United women team coach Nasir Ismail Nasir told ‘The News’ that he would hire the services of Bangladesh skipper Sabina Khatun for Masha United for the National Championship. “InshaAllah we will hire the services of Sabina for national event. We are making a strong team.”
Now the Bangladesh men’s team is under pressure from the girls' victory. Travelling abroad for a tournament Choton mentioned that expectation from the audience has gone way high because of the women team’s performance.
Read Bangladesh vs Nepal: SAFF Women's Championship 2022 road to final
But it’s in the finals that the next round of David and Goliath will be launched. And if they reach the final India will go hell for leather seeking revenge. But the win drought is gone, the jinx is broken. It’s a strongly improving team and everyone will take Bangladesh seriously next time both teams meet.
Dr. Akbar Ali Khan: A farewell to the Professor of integrity
Like several others Dr. Akbar Ali Khan was to me a citizen of the 1971 liberation war. My first conversation with him was in 1978 when he was in government service and I was working for the 1971 History project. He was posted in the Ministry of Defence of the Mujibnagar government and it was about what the role of the government was. He had no illusions about it.
“We did our best as a national government without much power in an international power where the rest were all powerful.” Few could have summed up this aspect of the Muibnagar government so well as this. In some ways, he summed up the reality of the 1971 war in total.
I had always wondered how a professional intellectual of his caliber could survive and flourish as a civil servant. He topped the merit list in the Dhaka University History department and also entered the coveted CSP cluster. Yet he seemed much more at home in academia. He served his full quota of days and only then retired to return full time to the academia as a Professor at BRAC University.
Books, lectures and observations
Soon after independence, he taught at the Jahangiranagar University, did his ph.d , published his splendid thesis for which he was awarded the Asiatic Society medal and other notable work. It’s a major achievement of his that he never let his salaried jobs and other travails of his work life interfere with his own intellectual life. He just went beyond the ordinary demands of bureaucracy and held on more firmly to what mattered most to him- his intellectual life.
It was nothing if not wide ranging. His most celebrated work is his book on the history of villages and its depth of analysis is stunning. Few can dare to travel in that area of work without reading the book. His economic analysis books are very well known, well thought of and often quoted. But his most quirky book is the one which was devoted to -of all things- chase the identity of the ethereal lady of Jibananada Das’s poem, Banlata Sen , a figure that haunts many Bengali minds. It was almost a declaration of his shushil identity. His exploration was methodical and thorough no matter whether one agrees with his conclusions or not.
Safely far from politics
Mujibnagar amlas tend to be political party oriented like the two of my senior friends. H. T. Imam and Dr. Kamal Siddique, both belonging to opposite political poles. Unlike them, he had no party identity and was more concerned with governance than partisan politics. His remark that civil servants owe it to be driven by conscience not ideology was perhaps already too old fashioned in the amla world he left behind to join academia after his stint at the highest level of bureaucracy.
He had once told me in a conversation that what a civil servant misses most is his right to disagree. Few disagreed with him but I understand that he was wise enough to know its limitations. He was thoroughly unimpressed by his success as an amla.
My last conversation seemed like his own summation of governance in Bangladesh. “ The government’s first role is to punish the wicked and protect the vulnerable. “ No other tests are necessary, he added. He had made his own integrity a brand. One speaks with respect and reverence whenever his name comes up. That is the true mark of a life brilliantly governed. Farewell Professor Khan.
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Declaration of Independence – Will, aspirations of Vietnamese people
On 2nd September 1945, at Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence proclaiming the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam (now the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam). The Declaration, which demonstrates the strong will and aspirations of Vietnamese people, still remains deeply topical both at home and abroad after 76 years.
The Declaration fully and deeply reflects President Ho Chi Minh’s philosophical, political and even human points of view, as well as contains the values of human civilisation. In this document, the late President affirmed that national rights and human rights have a dialectical relation.
The Declaration was not only a declaration of independence of the Vietnamese people but also a declaration of human rights and the rights of colonial nations. President Ho Chi Minh's elevation of human rights to national rights was his contribution to the treasure of human rights ideology.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the Vietnamese people rose up to repel the colonialists, feudalists and imperialists, regaining independence, freedom and human rights. Human rights in Viet Nam are not the value given by anyone but the result of the long struggle of the Vietnamese people.
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The Declaration of Independence is a solid legal basis that strongly affirms the national sovereignty of the Vietnamese people to the whole world; laying the foundation for the establishment of a rule-of-law state with the goal of independence, freedom and happiness; and illuminating Viet Nam's revolutionary path in the cause of building a socialist rule-of-law state of the people, by the people and for the people, for the sake of wealthy people, strong country, democracy, justice and civilisation.
76 years have passed, President Ho Chi Minh's views and thoughts on human rights, national rights, aspirations and resilience to maintain independence and freedom shown in the Declaration still remain topical and significant to the nation building and safeguarding cause at present.
Since then, the Vietnamese people have constantly strived for human rights and achieved many positive and important results. Human rights, civil rights in political, civil, economic, cultural and social fields are recognised, respected, protected and guaranteed in accordance with the Constitution and laws. With its achievements in ensuring human rights, Viet Nam was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council in the 2014-2016 term.
After nearly 35 years of Doi moi (Renewal), from a poor, least developed country, Viet Nam has become a middle-income developing country. Its human development index (HDI) has gradually improved, currently in the upper middle group, ranking 118th out of 189 countries.
Years will pass, but the spirit of the Declaration of Independence that gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam will always live on in the hearts of generations of Vietnamese people.