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Recently the finance minister made the comment that there is no unemployment problem in Bangladesh. I do not know whether he made this comment as a kind of joke or as serious talk. All the time in the past I have heard that unemployment is one of the top problems of the country. Now if Saifur Rahman thinks that the problem has been solved, then we should declare Bangladesh as a developed country. I must mention here that even the United States has been struggling to tackle its unemployment problem for quite a few years. Unemployment was a big issue in the last US presidential election.
   We occasionally hear the story of our youths taking risks of life to go abroad in search of jobs. Why are they taking risks if we have enough job opportunities in Bangladesh?
   I think the honourable finance minister knows that about 40% of our population still live below the poverty line. Many of these people live in extreme poverty conditions. Why do they live in poverty? Because they do not have jobs. They do not have resources to create jobs for themselves. If they have jobs, they earn very low income implying that they are under-employed.
   If the finance minister thinks that there is no unemployment problem, then he will not take care of these poor people. In that case, he should declare himself as finance minister for the rich. We can then assume that under his able guidance the rich will get richer and the poor will be poorer.
   Jewel Ahmed
   Bashabo, Dhaka

The budget is on the way. It will be a boon for a few and a bane for most of us. It is a pity that while formulating the budget most of the players lose sight of its purpose. To a layman budget means some good in the offing, some relief from present hardship, some good news for the general masses. But it is just the opposite here. It is a shock and a frustrating document for most people and a blessing for a select few. For preparation of the next budget our finance minister has been meeting the relevant people at VAT, customs, taxation, etc.
   We often lose sight of the purpose of the budget once we get bogged down in criticalities.  One example here may not be out of place. In the justification for the Jamuna Bridge, the agro economy of North Bengal came to the fore. It was argued that the peasants of North Bengal would get a better price for the agricultural produce, especially perishable ones, because of quick transportation to Dhaka. But, alas, even after five years the tomatoes in North Bengal are rotting in the field because of high tolls fixed for the trucks. Here the emphasis is on raising the IRR, not the return to the grower for which the Jamuna Bridge was built.
   Another example of anti-people budget is the imposition of tax on furnace fuel. Disposal of this by-product once was a problem and people started using it as this was available at a cheap price. A few thousand small industries, especially those located in areas where cheap fuel like natural gas was not available, were the beneficiary of this move. The budget wizards found a right item to bring it under the tax net. Overnight a few hundred SMEs were closed down and a few thousand employees made beggars. The budget is meant for employment generation.
   The present system of tax collection needs to be changed. People’s representatives should be entrusted with the job of bringing about the change because they are the people who exactly know the income of individuals in their locality. This not only will make the tax basket full but also do justice as the representative is answerable to his voters.
   About the development plan, big projects should be discouraged as they fatten the purses of the big ones in society and the rest of the country is deprived of their benefits. The projects should be spread all over the country so that each locality is benefited, however little the benefits may be. The on-going projects should be completed. It looks awkward to see a few pillars standing mid-channel in a river for many years.
   Finally, projects which can be implemented through using our own resources should be undertaken. Otherwise, a day will come when the donors will take away the last drop of juice from here and leave Bangladesh high and dry.
   AMA Alam
   New DOHS, Dhaka

Shefali, a 26 year old woman, has advertised in the newspaper her intention to sell an eye as she does not have any work or ability to feed her two and half year old daughter. Sale of an organ of the human body is prohibited during the lifetime of an individual. But Shefali is one who has no way other than selling her eye. She was abandoned by her husband a few months ago and has been living in a slum in Dhaka city on the verge of starvation. She has none who can provide her shelter and food. This was a pathetic tale aired on the BBC on 20 April.
   In Bangladesh, there are many Shefalies whose voices remain unheard. The tale of Shefali elicits the truth of the extreme vulnerability of women abandoned by their husbands. The government and affluent people should extend help to such women as Shefali.
   Mallik Akram Hossain
   The University of Hong Kong