Hasina’s ouster a warning to oppresive regimes
This is in reference to the news report ‘Sheikh Hasina Ousted of Home & Office by the People’ appearing in O Heraldo edition dated August 6. After several weeks of deadly anti-government protests, Hasina’s back-to-back 15-year rule as Bangladesh Prime Minister came to an abrupt end.
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A democrat, who turned into a dictator, was finally ousted. She chose to ride roughshod over the people’s feelings and took them for granted. Pakistan has gone through several cycles of military rule and Bangladesh is no exception to such rule. The developments are also reminiscent of the 2022 protests in Sri Lanka that led to the ouster of the Rajapaksa brothers.
Such events should serve as a warning to oppressive regimes worldwide. New Delhi, which enjoyed good ties with Hasina-ruled Dhaka, will have to recalibrate its strategy in view of the colossal churn in the neighbouring country.
With the return of Pakistan’s associates BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami imminent, India needs to keep strict vigil of developments in the subcontinent.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Don’t take power for granted
The happening in Bangladesh is a crude reminder to the people in power not to take their position and power for granted.
This is a warning not just for the Prime Minister and Home Minister, but also to the other heads of State, but even to the smallest leaders, who try to use their power to trample the rule of law, and think that they are the most powerful leaders in the world.
Matias Lobo, Tivim
Bangladesh, a cautionary tale
The fall and the subsequent flight of Sheikh Hasina should hold a cautionary tale for dictators and elected autocrats across the world. The genesis of the people’s coup was the student’s protest against the 30 per cent government job quota for kin of veterans who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.
This reservation was prima facie discriminatory meant to favour Awami League supporters and to shore up Hasina’s dwindling vote base. Over course of time, the stir turned violent, claiming the lives of 200 people until the Bangla SC stepped in to slash the quota to 5 %. The protests abated, but in a few days, agitators returned to the streets demanding the resignation of the PM, fresh violence claimed another 166 lives.
It is pertinent to note that the second wave of protests was fuelled by the jobless youth who were impacted by the arbitrary quota; there are 30 million jobless Bangla youth in a population of 170 million.
Hasina, who got elected for a 4th term on the back of rigged elections and boycott by the opposition, has since fled to India, and is safe for the time being. There are chilling parallels with India where joblessness is rife and the unemployed youth are being fed with toxic propaganda by the ruling establishment to create mayhem.
It never ends well for dictators, history has been witness to that; think Saddam, think Gaddafi, think Duvalier and now think Hasina.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Panjim’s CCTV cameras: Daylight loot?
The Smart City project in Panjim has once again come under scrutiny and this time over the whopping cost of installation of CCTV cameras.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has reportedly criticised the Smart City project for allegedly spending Rs 250 crore of the state exchequer on installing 250 cameras, each costing one crore. This is indeed shocking….absolutely insane, laughable to say the least. It looks like daytime loot. Even if these CCTV cameras are gold-plated they won’t cost as much.
It is learnt that before any other infrastructure tenders were issued, the tender for CCTV cameras was prioritised. Even the best cameras can be purchased at Rs 20,000 each. Citizens pay various taxes from their hard-earned money. If public money is being spent extravagantly by those in power, then it is unacceptable.
If there is even an iota of truth in the claim made by the Opposition member in the House then the matter needs to be thoroughly investigated by a competent authority.
The minister concerned needs to clear the air with regards to this exorbitant spending. If one CCTV camera costs Rs one crore, then the thieves will target these cameras instead of stealing anything else.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Eternal vigilance against the ‘sarkar’ is a must
The Goa government has withdrawn the controversial Town and Country Planning amendment bill, which sought to protect the TCP Department against judicial scrutiny, and overrode court judgements on land conversions under the ODPs.
The bill was taken back due to media pressure, protests by civil society and opposition by NGOs, who have the best interests of Goa at heart, why there were disagreements within the cabinet itself over the nefarious objective of the bill.
But uppermost in the mind of the ministers opposing the contentious legislation was that the BJP will be reduced to single digits in the next Assembly elections, this was voiced by the Revenue minister Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, no stranger to controversy himself.
People have to remain eternally vigilant against the ‘sarkar’ which would make every attempt to surreptitiously bring in laws detrimental to Goa. For now it is Goa-1, Government-0 in round one.
Rekha Sarin Trehan, Benaulim
Blinding headlights causing accidents
Blinding headlights are one of the important causes of road accidents in India. A driver can be blinded by the opposite vehicles as well as the rear ones.
Glaring headlights are direct or contributory causes of 75% of vehicular collisions in India.
Rules say high beams can be employed by the drivers only if there are no oncoming vehicles.
Rear vehicles can distract the front drivers’ vision by using bright lights within 60 metres.
Several youngsters, especially in small towns and cities use flashy headlights.
Section 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) has explicitly detailed the proper and improper use of headlights. Many non-professional drivers are oblivious to the correct usage of headlights and this can mainly be blamed on poor quality of driving schools and doling out licences without proper application of mind.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
