The sight-seeing tendency
Mahmudur Rahman | Friday, 1 April 2011
Mahmudur Rahman
From what we read and hear, diplomats, statesman and businessmen prefer to be on the golf-course when they have important world-shattering decisions and deals to be made. Bangladesh has a course of a different type-the riverine cruise to gladden the mind, sooth the nerves and provide that much more privacy among serene settings. Recent events would suggest otherwise and it as a matter of disappointment that William Blake did not offer enough notice for everyone to get the famous Benapole border check post in more sylvan order for his visit. It wasn't the Cox' Bazar Beach, the pristine Sunderbans or the thrilling Kuakata resort that was chosen but the bustling land port instead. While there are economic realities to be examined there, it can hardly be called a touristic destination. Unless of course (and one doubts it) the Americans' belief of learning from others' experience was strong enough. From all accounts the local administration bent backwards in accommodating the US Under-secretary who made no bones of his intentions by talking about the Yunus issue and how this could affect bilateral ties without being too threatening. Or maybe, he was just trying to see whether Bangladesh was living up to its commitment at facilitating transit trade with India. Whatever the case, the timing of the visit is suggestive that it had to do with Yunus. And then there was a u-turn by the authorities. Suddenly the confrontational path changed to one of 'compromise'; remember what James Moriarty has been saying all along? And there is a Hillary Clinton visit lined up at some stage. Blake was duly taken round sections of the port about which he had little comment to make. But surely he had had enough briefing from Moriarty who was in the Khulna region a few months ago. It gets more confusing by the hour with a probable scurrying behind the scenes going on to re-finalise an issue that the government had finalised. In the end it really was a pity though. Cox's Bazar and the Sunderbans are so pretty! (The writer he can be reached at e-mail : mahmudrahman@gmail.com)
From what we read and hear, diplomats, statesman and businessmen prefer to be on the golf-course when they have important world-shattering decisions and deals to be made. Bangladesh has a course of a different type-the riverine cruise to gladden the mind, sooth the nerves and provide that much more privacy among serene settings. Recent events would suggest otherwise and it as a matter of disappointment that William Blake did not offer enough notice for everyone to get the famous Benapole border check post in more sylvan order for his visit. It wasn't the Cox' Bazar Beach, the pristine Sunderbans or the thrilling Kuakata resort that was chosen but the bustling land port instead. While there are economic realities to be examined there, it can hardly be called a touristic destination. Unless of course (and one doubts it) the Americans' belief of learning from others' experience was strong enough. From all accounts the local administration bent backwards in accommodating the US Under-secretary who made no bones of his intentions by talking about the Yunus issue and how this could affect bilateral ties without being too threatening. Or maybe, he was just trying to see whether Bangladesh was living up to its commitment at facilitating transit trade with India. Whatever the case, the timing of the visit is suggestive that it had to do with Yunus. And then there was a u-turn by the authorities. Suddenly the confrontational path changed to one of 'compromise'; remember what James Moriarty has been saying all along? And there is a Hillary Clinton visit lined up at some stage. Blake was duly taken round sections of the port about which he had little comment to make. But surely he had had enough briefing from Moriarty who was in the Khulna region a few months ago. It gets more confusing by the hour with a probable scurrying behind the scenes going on to re-finalise an issue that the government had finalised. In the end it really was a pity though. Cox's Bazar and the Sunderbans are so pretty! (The writer he can be reached at e-mail : mahmudrahman@gmail.com)