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THE decision of the government to increase the power rates, that too, for
the second time within less than eight months appears to be ill-timed. The
decision is unlikely to be taken well by the common people who are already
feeling the heat of the rising prices of some daily necessities due to
disruptions created by a flood of moderate scale in a number of districts of
the country.
The government decision, which came into effect from the first day of the
current month, provides for the increase in power tariffs not only for
domestic, commercial and industrial consumers but also for the users in the
country’s agricultural sector - a sector where power rates were not revised
for the last 11 years considering its importance in the national economy as
well as paying ability of the small and marginal farmers.
It is understood that the government has raised the power rates not on its
own but following intense pressure from the multilateral donor agencies,
which have set a number of preconditions for extending financial assistance
to the country’s power sector. The donors stopped providing loans to the
sector since the late '80s alleging its poor performance. They suggested
various reforms, including creation of an organisation like Dhaka Electric
Supply Authority (DESA), as preconditions for resuming fresh assistance to
the sector. There were a number of reforms in the power sector, prominent
among them being the entry of independent power producers (IPPs), over
the last few years. But the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank on
different pretexts have delayed resumption of their assistance, which has
again created a different sort of problem in the power sector. The
government had to fall back upon costly suppliers’ credit and enter into
some unattractive IPP agreements with a view to meeting the huge shortfall
in power generation.
There is no denying that the performance of the power sector has since
long been poor. Inefficiency, corruption, large-scale pilferage of power etc.
have rather crippled the sector. The Bangladesh Power Development Board
(PDB) and the DESA lose altogether about 100 million dollar annually and
the government, on an average, provide an annual subsidy to the power
sector to the tune of 350 million dollar, an amount more than the health
budget. Yet the number of beneficiaries of the power sector is very low, only
18 per cent of the entire population of the country. That small percentage of
the people again has to suffer for lack of reliable supply of power. The
situation can be understood well from the finding of a recent WB study that,
in the year 2000, consumers had uninterrupted supply of power for only 111
days.
Inefficiency coupled with extensive pilferage of power has sapped the
financial strength of both PDB and DESA. These two factors long ago had
eaten into the vitals of the PDB, which was then solely responsible for
generation, transmission and distribution of power. Later, at the dictate of
the WB, the DESA was created to take over the power distribution and stop
power pilferage. Unfortunately, the new organisation not only failed to
demonstrate any positive results but also instantly caught a highly
contagious disease called corruption.
The average per unit cost of power generated by the PDB itself or
purchased from IPPs, according to reports, is higher than that of average
power tariff and retail tariffs in real terms that have declined since 1995. It is
true tariffs of utility services like any other services need to be revised or
readjusted from time to time. Consumers cannot take it for granted that,
since the utility services are in the public sector, their tariffs will always be
to their liking. Yet, reality is that practical steps on the part of the authorities
concerned to reduce pilferages in utility services would have saved to some
extent the consumers from frequent revision in tariff rates.
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Who Cares about Consumers? Inexplicably, the process of the passing of the vital consumer protection law has been dragging on for years, writes M A Aziz
THE finance minister in his pre-budget consultations with different
interest groups met representatives of such groups to get their views and
recommendations for possible consideration and incorporation in the budget.
The business community was seen specially active in these meetings and,
like always, some of their suggestions could be met or favourably acted
upon. Thus, the producers and sellers have had the opportunity to be heard
by the government on the eve of the declaration of the national budget which
was very important for all kinds of production and selling activities
involving the producers, the financiers, the distributors and so on or the
entire business chain.
But the consumers or the preponderant number of people in the country
who are to consume the products and services of businesses were not
similarly consulted. This, on the one hand, reflects the weaknesses of
whatever consumer organisations there are in the country and, on the other,
government's callous attitude towards consumers' interest.
But this is highly undesirable because proper economic management
essentially calls for giving a boost to right type of not only production
activities but equally, the consumption activities. The productive efficiency
or allocative efficiency of resources in an economy is determined not only
by how goods or services are produced but whether these can effectively
satisfy the maximum demand of consumers at prices they can afford as well
as meeting consumers' expectation in respect of quality or safety of the
products and services.
If consumers are persuaded by lack of regulation and information or
misinformation to consume more demerit goods that provide no social
benefits or negligible such benefits but create high costs to society from their
consumption, then hardly the goals of positive consumption are attained.
Consumption should be more and more in areas that generate much greater
social benefits than costs so that the economy can grow in the right direction
or the right economic growth can be sustained.
Powerful consumers' groups in many countries act as a go between the
producers and the government and contribute to government's policy
formulation so that consumers' interests as well as the best interests of the
national economy are promoted. The absence of such groups in this country
or their presence in rather feeble form has meant inadequate representation
of consumers' interest in government. But that does not absolve the
government of its responsibility to act on its own and doing its best to
safeguard the interest of consumers because this is not only desirable from
the perspective of consumers but also very necessary for the economy's
efficient functioning to ensure best utilisation of resources or maximising
their value.
Recently, it was reported that the laboratory testing of the products of
some well known producers showed that the quality of these products did
not quite match the claims on their labels. This brings to mind the necessity
of adequate consumer protection laws to deal with the situation. Laws here
are in existence to uphold consumers' interests but the same are weak in
their provisions and bite and, therefore, the need for a comprehensive and
tougher consumer protection law was felt long ago. The irony is that such a
law was also drafted probably years ago and several times it was made
known that it would be introduced in parliament and approved. But even the
introduction of it in parliament is pending for unknown reasons. Probably
the producers' lobby is active to withhold the passing of the law which they
fear would create compulsions on them to take much greater care as regards
the quality, price and safety of their products. If this is the case, then the
existing consumer organisations need to come together for launching a
strong enough campaign for the passing of this vital legislation.
The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has recently
identified thirty-five companies for marketing substandard or spurious goods
The companies found guilty of marketing such goods range from cement
producers to producers of foodstuffs and toiletries. The companies
identified by BSTI include some well known ones and also the not so well
known companies. Both categories of companies that market such products
are defrauding consumers and hazarding their health. But the information
that even well known companies - which appeal to huge number of
consumers because of their reputation - are also practicing objectionable
marketing, should cause very serious public concern.
It is not known what BSTI has done following its identification of the
companies. Reportedly, its helmsmen have confessed to the press that it is
not empowered to take steps against the companies. There are gaps in the
laws and the same should be bridged to empower BSTI to take steps against
the offending companies. If this is so, then the people would like to know
when such laws will be framed to deliver them from the deceit and hazards
imposed on them. As it is, a comprehensive consumer protection law has
been probably drafted. It was supposed to be submitted in the form of a bill
long ago to approved and made into law. What is holding back its
submission to the parliament is a mystery. Could it be that vested groups of
the producers are exercising their influences to stop the passing of this vital
piece of legislation ? If this is the case, then the consumers would demand
that the highest authorities in the government should look immediately into
the matter and take immediate action for the proposed law to be submitted
and passed in the next session of parliament.
BSTI's recent activities demonstrated that it is not an ineffectual
organisation . If it wants, it can spring to action and conduct effective
monitoring of the markets to detect illegal and hazardous market behaviour
of the producers or sellers. BSTI authorities often complain about their lack
of equipment and personnel to do their job efficiently. But its recent
activities showed up that these limitations are insignificant. What it needs is
motivation from its higher level and a push from the ministry concerned to
engage in its tasks on a regular basis.
There has been frequent allegations made against it for its deliberate
under-performance due to a section of its corrupt personnel. This allegation
will have to be investigated and every effort made to make BSTI a properly
functioning organisation in the public interest.
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Nanotechnology and Destroyer DrugsJim Kelsey
TWO United Kingdom companies have formed an alliance to develop a
production facility to exploit the potential of nanotechnology. This involves
the manipulation of atoms and molecules to achieve extreme miniaturisation
of products and materials - for instance, computers will shrink to the size
of a wristwatch.
The alliance brings together QinetiQ, the UK's largest independent science
and technology company, and the BOC industrial group which is one of the
world's leading gases companies. QinetiQ formed a nanotechnology
subsidiary at the beginning of 2002 and its first nanomaterials production
plant will be commissioned near London. BOC will supply the pure argon
and other industrial gases that are critical to the production process together
with a compressed dry air supply.
The managing director of QinetiQ Nanomaterials, Paul Relp, said: "The
capabilities of this technology have been proven and hold significant
promise for the future. This alliance with BOC will help QinetiQ
Nanomaterials to achieve its aims of bringing advanced nanomaterials in
significant quantities to the market place, and to develop new applications
based on those materials."
BOC's combustion and development group manager Ian Spiller added:
"BOC and QinetiQ Nanomaterials will be looking for opportunities to
extend the alliance in future to create a world class and establish
nanomaterials as a global reality."
An alliance spokesman said nanotechnology, which works at the
nanometre scale of one billionth of a metre or 1/80,000th of the diameter of
a human hair, is regarded by many as one of today's highest growth markets.
He explained: "It has recently been estimated that the total world market for
nanoparticulate materials was 490 million US dollars in 2000 and is
expected to be 900 million dollars in 2005, an annual growth of 13 per cent.
"The number of commercial applications for nanotechnology is vast but
several of the key application areas that are already or will be implemented
within the next five years include drug delivery systems, anticorrosion
coatings, cosmetics and ultraviolet protection gels, tailoring the viscosity and
thermal expansion properties of lubricants, and composite materials that are
lighter, stronger, thinner or incorporate other particular requirements."
A UK advisory group of nanotechnology applications which has just
presented its report says nanotechnology is destined to be as important for
the economy as information technology and biotechnology.
Its spokesman said: "Nanotechnology has the potential to provide more
sensitive medical instruments, bringing faster and more accurate diagnostic
techniques. It also provides new ways of making things, with greater
functionality, less raw material and less energy. Computers will shrink to the
size of a wristwatch, transforming their use in communications,
manufacturing, healthcare and the way we manage major systems like traffic
or industrial processes."
In the light of this, the UK government plans to increase its investment in
nanotechnology research from 30 million pounds sterling a year to 50
million pounds.
Another report says that a new breed of "destroyer drug" which only
targets diseased cancer cells is in the first stages of development by the
Oxfordshire based biotechnology company Avidex.
The body's natural antibodies and T cells can spot different types of
abnormal proteins called antigens. Monoclonal antibodies can seek out and
destroy diseased cells but are not 100 per cent efficient. They can only target
the antigens on a cancer cell's surface - 10 to 15 per cent of the total
number.
The new class of drugs called monoclonal T cell receptors (mTCRs) can
hunt down the antigens inside cancer cells, thereby enabling them to attack
and destroy them all. T cells in the body use the receptors to check protein
fragments called peptides that appear on the surface of all cells. They are the
remains of proteins from within the cell. T cells can tell if the protein the
peptides come from should be there. If not, the cell is destroyed.
Avidex and Sunol Molecular in Florida, United States, are developing the
new breed of destroyer drugs that has been heralded as the biggest
breakthrough in cancer therapy in recent years. The companies have created
artificial T cell receptors that can exist independently from their hosts.
Starting with human T cells, Avidex researchers extract the genes that
manufacture the receptor. They then shuttle the genes into E.coli bacteria
that produces identical copies of the receptor protein. There is no difference
between them and those on T cells.
Avidex believes that the new drugs could be used to attack particular
cancer cells by screening patients' T-cells. By identifying the ones already
targeted by diseased cells, they know the right receptor to clone. Another
approach is to alter receptor genes until mTCRs that attach to particular
target cells are produced. Both the UK and US companies have already
discovered mTCRs that attach to cancer cells.
The UK researchers have already begun animal tests but predict that it
will be two years before the new drugs could be tested on humans.
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Iraq Tells US to Drop War Threats Iraq has urged the United States to abandon its hostile policy and the United Nations to continue negotiations with Baghdad to open up to new disarmament inspections
"THE United States must review its hostile policy towards Iraq and deal
with it taking into account its regional, Arab and international importance,"
the ruling Baath Party's Ath-Thawra newspaper said.
Washington must stop "putting pressure on the world body to prevent it
from answering the legitimate concerns of Iraq and normalising relations."
Meanwhile, amid growing signs Washington is planning an attack, a
prominent Iraqi Kurdish leader said he has offered Washington the use of
military bases controlled by his group for a possible US attack on the regime
of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Jalal Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, told CNN the US
response was positive to his offer of bases in exchange for protection from
possible retaliation with chemical or biological weapons.
Talabani - one of several Iraqi opposition leaders who met over the
weekend with US officials - said he has assured Washington the US troops
would be welcomed.
"The American army will be very warmly welcomed in Iraqi Kurdistan,
contrary to the rumors," Talabani told reporters.
"It will be welcomed and believe me the United States is very popular
now in Iraqi Kurdistan."
Most of northern Iraq has been outside Baghdad's control since a Kurdish
uprising following the 1991 Gulf War.
In Washington, the US defence officials said the US Navy is contracting
two commercial ships to move military hardware, including Bradley fighting
vehicles and helicopters, to Jordan and an undisclosed Red Sea port.
However, a spokesman for the US Central Command said the shipments
were part of a broader transfer of military equipment from the European
theater to other parts of the globe.
"We consider this just a routine shipment," said Commander Frank
Merriman, a spokesman for the US Central Command.
Baghdad's call for an end to US hostility came after Iraqi Foreign Minister
Naji Sabri revealed Iraq was still working on a response to UN demands for
unconditional inspections, which came after Baghdad invited the chief UN
arms inspector, Hans Blix, for talks on the possible resumption of
monitoring.
But US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said it would be difficult for
international arms inspectors to expose Iraq's hidden weapons programmes
even if they were let back in the country, as in the past the biggest breaks
have come from defectors.
Noting that even Saddam's own son-in-law was executed for disclosures
that led UN inspectors to make their biggest discoveries about Iraq's
chemical and biological weapons programme, Rumsfeld said "an inspection
regime would have to be so intrusive, it would have to be any time, any
place.
"So if you can't get access to people to get information, and access on a
basis that they feel safe and that their families feel safe, it would seem to me
it would be very difficult."
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has asked Iraq to confirm its agreement
with the Security Council's terms on disarmament and weapons inspections
before Blix accepted the invitation to Baghdad, emphasising that Iraq must
comply with every point of Resolution 1284, the last major overhaul of the
council's Iraq policy, adopted in 1999.
Baghdad had Monday undermined international hopes for renewed UN
arms monitoring when Information Minister Mohammad Said al- Sahhaf
said weapons inspectors had finished their work in Iraq.
However, diplomats said Sahhaf appeared to be re-stating Iraq's long-held
view and was not totally ruling out a return of inspectors.
"Iraq has expressed more than once its readiness to agree to a return of
weapons inspectors in exchange for the respect by the United Nations
Security Council of its commitments to Iraq," a Western diplomat told the
news agency privately.
"Iraqis believe and are still totally convinced that they can reach a just
settlement to all their problems with the UN on condition that the United
States does not interfere in this dialogue."
Washington has repeatedly accused Iraq of harbouring terrorists and
developing biological and chemical weapons since disarmament inspectors
fled on the eve of sustained US air strikes in December 1998.
US President George W Bush has called for a change of regime in Iraq
"by any means necessary," but also has promised to consult allies and the US
Congress before taking any action.
However, most members of the US-led international coalition in
Afghanistan, including European allies and especially those in the Middle
East, have voiced serious reservations about US calls to expand the war
against terrorism to Iraq.
- AFP
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A Vow against MilitancyPakistan's President Pervez Musharraf vowed Wednesday to crush Islamic militancy blamed for a wave of violence in recent months
HE said a series of arrests following the attacks on a Protestant missionary
school for foreign children near Islamabad and a Presbyterian hospital
showed that intelligence and security forces were starting to win the fight
against extremism.
"All the perpetrators of the two attacks have either been killed or all of
them have been arrested," the military ruler said in his address to the nation
on Independence Day.
Police say three men who shot dead six Pakistanis at the Murree school
blew themselves up when challenged by police.
One of three men who lobbed grenades into a crowd of nurses leaving a
hospital chapel in Taxila died, as did four nurses.
Police said Tuesday they arrested 16 suspected militants in connection
with the Taxila attack, all belonging to two outlawed Islamic militant
groups.
"This is commendable work done by security and intelligence agencies
and also by the judiciary in tandem with each other," said Musharraf, who
spoke in English.
"It is time that instead of criticising these agencies, as we always do, we
appreciate their efforts."
Musharraf has banned at least seven Islamic militant groups, but that has
not stopped violence in recent months which claimed dozens of lives,
including those of 11 French engineers and the wife and daughter of a US
diplomat.
Radical groups are angry at Musharraf's decision to support the US-led
war on terror in neighbouring Afghanistan and at the crackdown on their
activities.
Several are linked to the separatist campaign in disputed Kashmir, the
heart of a dangerous stand-off between nuclear-armed neighbours India and
Pakistan.
Pakistan, under pressure from the West, has sought to root out groups
active within Pakistan and block infiltration across a military line into
Indian- controlled Kashmir, but it still lends political and moral support to
the separatist movement.
Musharraf condemned last week's attacks, which raised fears of a new
wave of militancy aimed at Christians and Westerners.
"In the name of Islam, these misled criminals and their terrorist patrons
and tutors even have the audacity to think their actions are the route to
Jannat (heaven)," Musharraf said.
"Who is the loser? Nobody but Pakistan, your country, and the poor of
Pakistan whose sustenance depends on jobs through investment which shies
away."
Foreign companies have scaled-back their activities in Pakistan since
September 11, as have diplomatic missions.
Musharraf said that while there were no "quick-fix solutions", better
equipment, training and manpower for the police and intelligence services
were already yielding results.
He called on clerics and political leaders to help curb militancy, which
grew out of religious schools and training camps in Pakistan and
Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
- Reuters
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AWAMI League acting President Abdus Samad Azad in a recent private
TV channel news coverage made the disclosure that during the last UNGA
summit, Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf had cancelled a scheduled
meeting with the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister just five minutes
before the time, which was against diplomatic norms and courtesy.
According to him, Pakistanis always say that Bangladeshis are our
brothers, but sometimes they do not extend brotherly treatment to us.
Of course, in my opinion, the opposition AL could meet the visiting
Pakistan President at least to show that Bangladeshis maintain hearty
feelings and respect for all the Muslim brothers across the world including
Pakistan. After all, President Musharraf was our guest.
Meanwhile the visiting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has
performed a moral as well as religious duty by saying 'sorry' for the '71
tragedy.
While appreciating the stand of the Pak President, I would sincerely
expect Pakistan to discharge other obligations very soon towards
Bangladesh.
M Zahidul Haque
Associate Professor
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.
Dhaka
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THE financial and economic hardship of our people continue unabated.
There is always pricehike of goods and commodities. Devaluation of our
currency and the sufferings of the people know no bounds.
Why don't we cut our coat according to our cloth? Why don't we curb
corruption, terrorism and wastage of public money?
We are fed up with the pompous speeches and attractive promises of our
different finance ministers from time to time. Our national budget is never
people's oriented.
Why is there rise in prices of soyabean oil, sugar, milk powder, cement?
Why we are always having higher cost of many essential goods and
commodities, rise in electricity charges, WASA, gas, travelling cost, higher
rates of tariff of different goods and services offered by various public
sector corporations?
We strongly make a demand on the government not to impose new taxes,
VAT, not to devalue our currency for the next five years. We also want a
total ban on the import of luxury items.
Undoubtedly, BNP and Awami League are the two most important
political parties in our country. But unfortunately neither of the two parties
is competent enough to look after and solve the law and order situation and
socio economic development problems single handedly.
We had many forms of government in our country - presidential,
parliamentary, military government and neutral caretaker government, etc.
But during the last 31 years we have miserably failed to mitigate the
sufferings of our people. Let us forget our past differences and bitterness.
Let us think and concentrate on the present and future welfare and well-
being of our millions and millions of people.
Let all our political leaders have a big heart and a wide vision and stop
vilification and criticism against each other and do something good and
constructive for the peace, happiness and welfare of the people. Where there
is a will there is a way.
A citizen
Dhaka
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