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The natural resources of Bangladesh, such as rivers, lakes, canals and forests, are under constant threat of obliteration at the hands of nature and humans. The ever-growing population has been encroaching upon these resources to set up homesteads and do agriculture for their sustenance. Nature has also joined in from time to time to wreak havoc on the land and the biodiversity so characteristic of this country. Through decades of two-pronged assault, many of the natural resources are now lost forever. In Bangladesh, though natural resources have faced many adverse conditions, successive governments since Liberation have done little to take worthwhile measures to slow down the rate of destruction and reverse the process through conservation. The glaring example of the once majestic Madhupur forest under Tangail district is right there to remind us all about what apathy, ineptness and greed can do to the bounties of nature in this country. Denuding the Madhupur forest of trees has been going on for the last twenty years or more by the local people in cahoots with a section of government employees. Large areas of the forest have been leased out to individuals and private entrepreneurs at throwaway prices in the name of setting up homesteads, industries or picnic spots. They have had the blessings of some local politicians who were more interested in making money out of the deal than conserving the forest for maintaining the ecological balance. Once allowed to settle down, these people began to encroach upon the adjacent areas through greasing the palms of the officials of the relevant government office.
   A recent report by our Tangail correspondent says that the forest is fast losing various species of wild animals like jackals, deer, leopards, monkeys, elephants, bears, porcupines as well as birds and flora and fauna because of poaching and felling of trees. Some anti-social elements of the locality are cutting down trees from deep inside the forest to avoid the prying eyes of the honest rangers and sell the timber in local markets. According to the New Age report, trees on about 800 acres of forest land have been felled by the goons since 1994. This was made possible through an entente of some corrupt forest officials with the local bandits under the protection of the politicians who pulled the strings from behind the curtain. Despite numerous reports on such destruction of our prime forests, no tangible action against the culprits has been taken so far to discourage others.
   We are sure that the government is aware of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity which stipulates: 'Biodiversity - the biological and ecological diversity of plants, animals and microbes - is important for maintaining life-sustaining systems.' In the light of the said convention, the relevant government departments should undertake programmes to educate the local residents in and around important forests like the one in Madhupur on the importance of trees and bushes and how they help people in many different ways. The local political leaders must come forward with programmes of their own to create awareness among the people regarding the harmful impact of a cutting down of trees in large forests where different species of animals, insects and birds live. If immediate measures are not taken, we are afraid, within the next decade the entire Madhupur forest will disappear for good from our landscape. Therefore, let us act before it is too late.

Women power is refreshing

Maybe the time has seriously arrived for women to provide leadership to dazed humanity. Now, you just might pipe up, that is strange. Have there not been women in politics already? But of course. The tales of Indira Gandhi, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sheikh Hasina, Khaleda Zia, Corazon Aquino, Benazir Bhutto, et al, are all out there. Whether these women have been able to impress their nations with their performance is beside the question. The fact is that they have been there and all of them have tried to make a difference. But note that all or most of these women have reached the peaks of political power because there was some male member, a father or a husband, who happened to be there earlier. So what does that say about individual struggle? Not much, for power came to these women purely by chance or through accident of birth.
   It is not such women we speak of. It is women who have come into prominence of their own that matters. If you remember Tansu Ciller of Turkey or Edith Cresson of France or Mary Robinson of Ireland, you will know what we mean. These women have been true politicians, individuals who rose in a cannibalistic, male-dominated world. And they did fairly well for themselves. There is today a woman as prime minister in New Zealand, a second Irish woman who holds the presidency in Dublin. There used to be Vigdis Finbogadottir in Iceland. Into these exalted ranks have now stepped Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Michelle Bachelet. These two women will now serve, as a result of electoral support, as presidents of Liberia and Chile respectively. Those who have observed the life and lifestyle of Johnson-Sirleaf know her for the brilliant economist she has always been. But that was in the past. Now she will preside over the fortunes of a country that has had more than its fair share of tragedy. Earlier presidents have been murdered in Liberia and one recently was cajoled into exile. Into such a spot of violence has come the respected Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf. She will need all the luck she can muster to get on with the job. And luck, to a certain extent, is also what President Bachelet will need in Santiago. She is a reminder of Chile’s sufferings in the Pinochet years, for she was subjected to physical torture by the goons of the man who commandeered her country through a violent overthrow of Salvador Allende in 1973. As a politician, Ms. Bachelet has demonstrated in the past many years an excellent ability to understand Chile’s priorities, to a point where she has convinced Chileans they can entrust their future in her care.
   And as you observe the presidents of Liberia and Chile settle in, keep looking from time to time at distant America. Something of a momentous note might happen in 2008, if Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice find themselves locked in battle for the White House. Women power, you have to agree, is a refreshing new chapter in the history of politics.

Politicisation of civil service including the police, which is part of the civil service, has been a subject of considerable controversy during the past decade. The debate reached its peak during the last four years with continuous shuffle and reshuffle, forced retirement and what not. During the annual police conference held in the fist-weak of January this year, the subject has again got the attention of the media but with a difference.
   The insiders within the police hierarchy have openly raised the issue among other operational problems relevant for effective crime control. This is significant and it serves only to confirm the earlier reports of the media on the subject. The members of the force, in particular those in the upper end of the hierarchy, the superintendent of police (SPs), appear to have turned into what is known as ‘comic opera policeman’. They have all the powers to coax and cajole but little authority to enforce obedience from their subordinates. The police is said to be ‘disciplined force’ as defined under article 152 of the constitution. The views articulated by some senior police officers that appeared in the media tend to confirm the impression that it is indeed a disciplined force in law but not in practice. There is abundant evidence in support of this contention.
   PRS and the police
   The poverty reduction strategy (PRS) recently finalised by the government and the donors speaks of police reforms as part of the measures to improve the deteriorating state of governance. PRS is in for implementation but the issue of politicisation remains to be solved.
   PRS (October, 2005) acknowledges that reforming police and judiciary present formidable challenge. The progress noted in the policy matrix includes (a) increase in strength of the police force by an additional number of 12,959, (b) submission of recommendations to update Police Regulations and (c) entry qualifications for recruitment of constables upgraded to SSC. The policy agenda for 2005-2007 includes (a) reduction of non-essential work-load such as protocol and VIP duties and (b) reviving and strengthening oversight and inspection functions. Finally, the future priorities listed in the policy matrix are (a) development of a meaningful programme for integrating the thana and the chowkidari system (b) promoting community policing approaches and (c) development of a viable and long-term police reform agenda.
   PRS has clearly parried the burning operational issues of improving governance as far as police is concerned. In the just completed annual conference, the major issues raised by some SPs and deputy inspectors general (DIGs) include recruitment, promotion and transfer being dominated by political rather than efficiency considerations. This should have received topmost attention in the agenda for police reform. With regard to political influence in recruitment, the inspector general of police (IGP) is reported to have said that a committee for recruitment is there and the committee has been instructed to be fair and just while selecting the candidates for entry into the force. What has been left unsaid is that the committee is helpless and the IGP is equally helpless to protect the members of the committee from undue political influence.
   What can be the alternative
   Admittedly, if the political party or parties in power cling on to the culture of politicising administration and the not just the police, there is no hope of resolving the issue of political influence in recruitment. The alternative is to opt for neutral structures. PRB, which has not yet been amended, provided a structure, which has stood the test of time but was reportedly discarded. No one knows when it happened. Under the PRB, the district magistrate now called the deputy commissioner (DC) used to be involved along with the SP in the recruitment of subordinate police officers. The regulatory requirement was that the recommended names from this committee could not be interfered with by the DIG who was the final approving authority in case of sub-inspectors of police (SIs). It is essential to know how and why the system has been replaced to make room for political selection. If the PRB has not been amended, it will mean that all recruitment so far made would be illegal. If, on the other hand, the system is still in vogue but political selection is the rule rather than an exception, the option is to go in for alternative structure, which will remain immune form political influence. This needs to be worked out as a short term agenda to improve governance.
   Broken command structure
   In the annual conference, the issue of broken command structure was also raised by some SPs. It was reported that the officers-in-charge (OCs) of police stations do not obey the command of their superior. The reason is that OCs have strong political links. The affected SPs have even gone to the extent of saying that if they wish to initiate action against such indisciplined OCs, the result is transfer of SPs. The IG has, of course, reportedly assured that he would look into the matter. Given the continuing political culture of politicising administration, it is unlikely that the IG will be able to do much except for imploring the state minister of home affairs for help on the issue.
   The case of Qaumi madrashas
   A broken command structure is anathema to improving governance in police matters as indeed for all other matters relating to administration. Very recently the issue of arrests, searches and seizures of qaumi madrashas suspected to be involved in terrorism came up. In the face of demands from a group of clerics not to harass the qaumi madrashas, the state minister was emphatic in his view that if required by law, arrest, searches etc. would have to be made. There would be no exception. A few days later, it was reported by the media that police are asking for permission of higher authorities to search such madrashas. The gap between the fact and fiction of law is evidently widening in the same manner as the gap between precepts and practices as evidenced by the latitude given to Bangla Bhai who was not arrested despite specific orders first from the state minister for home and then by the prime minister. The country is now paying for the latitude so given. No wonder then that the police will continue to look for instructions from the top and desist from implementing the law in letter and spirit.
   Vanishing permanent address
   An interesting fact was brought to light during the last annual police conference. The participating officers pointed out that work on verification of antecedents could not be carried out because many permanent addresses were vanishing in thin air because of river erosion. A senior police officer further pointed out that 200 policemen could not be deployed during the SAARC conference because they did not have any permanent address. This is much like putting the cart before the horse. It is a regulatory requirement of initial recruitment that appointment on probation can only be made after necessary verification of the antecedents of the candidates selected for appointment. How could 200 policemen be appointed then without any police verification? It was expected that the IG should have ordered an immediate inquiry into this. Instead, he promised to take it up with the ministry of lands.
   Investigation of cases of terrorism
   In the conference, the issue of investigation of cases of terrorism came up for discussion. The points made in the conference indicate enough causes of concern. The police officers are unhappy of the way the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI) is functioning. In their view, the requirement of sending suspected terrorists to Dhaka for prolonged interrogation runs the danger of ending in unsuccessful prosecution. This is because (a) the arrested accused cannot be made to make confessional statement to magistrate in time as required by law and (b) prolonged stay at TFI is likely to make them retract the confessions already made to the police. This is an issue that needs serious attention. The police should be given a free hand in getting the confessional statement to be made before a magistrate so that prompt completion of investigation is not hampered.
   The way forward for police reform
   The operational issues of criminal investigation need a harder and more unbiased look than at present. The way forward for police reform lies in removing the obstacles mentioned by the key actors who participated in the conference. The age-old checks and balances as articulated in PRB need not be overlooked in the name grandiose reform. The approach should be based on the identifications of operational issues, the associated problems and ways to remove them to have a police administration that is efficient, accountable, responsible and responsive to the demands of citizens and the changing pattern of crimes and criminals.