Worried...

By Margub Kabir, Northumbria University, UK
17 February 2004, 18:00 PM
I am a student studying law in the United Kingdom. I really miss my country from here. But when I read the newspapers online, I feel that hell has come down on Bangladesh. Everyday there is killing, which takes place in other countries also, but the number of killings is abnormal in our context. Some businessmen are destined to be kidnapped or shot, otherwise the sun won't set.

Our country is dependent on foreign loans. Well, it is understandable that a developing country, which has such a huge population, needs loans to thrive but one thing we are forgetting is that we need to pay them back. No one gives anything for free. The loans are piling up and we are asking for more. Our political parties can call hartal, meetings that lead to violence. The two major parties in our country-- the BNP and the Awami League-- are very much alike. When one of them comes to power, it will suppress and dominate the other, and when it becomes the opposition it will complain about the government's highhandedness.

Please give us a break and do your job. An opposition is not only for meetings and hartals. There's a big role to be played by the opposition. It must attend parliament and talk about the mistakes of the government, rather than call hartal.

Our government needs to listen to the opposition and fulfil the general people's needs. We are not asking for too much and we know it's not possible in a day. But please give us some assurance of improvement. I love my country and would like to see it prosper.