Waiting for a pragmatic decision

Against the backdrop of fierce protests from local people about construction of an international airport in Arial Beel of Munshiganj, the Prime Minister declared that no airport will be built there against the will of the people. Not only the local people but other people were also sceptical of the proposed airport. The Prime Minister has taken a pragmatic and sensible decision by not pressing ahead with the project. She said that her government would not do anything against the will of the people. She commented that the local people and the Leader of the Opposition in parliament failed to realise the importance of a modern airport. Cabinet sources were reported to have said that the premier expressed disappointment about her party lawmakers from Munshiganj as they could not make the people understand the importance of the proposed airport. There is no need to regret anything because finally a good decision has been taken. The ruling party should not be insensitive to the issues that affect the lives of the common people. Lodging of a case by a public prosecutor on behalf of the government against the Leader of the Opposition in connection with skirmishes between the villagers and the law enforcers in Munshiganj did not appear to be a well thought-out one. It has accused the opposition leader of inciting violence, although she was not even present there. This is lamentable. This will widen the gap berween the government and the opposition, particularly when the opposition parties have rejoined the parliament session. This has possibly encouraged the opposition, among other things, to call a hartal. There is a report that the police did not make any entry of a case against the opposition leader. If this is true, this will also be a practical decision. The opposition leader should not be harassed if there is no valid reason. At the moment, there are three international airports in the country. None of these airports are being used to full capacity. An initiative has been taken to convert the Cox's Bazar airport into an international airport. According to the experts, in an international airport, a maximum of 60 flights are handled per hour whereas in the Dhaka airport maximum 10 flights are handled per hour including training flights of Bangladesh Air Force. This means the Dhaka airport can handle five-times more flights. Moreover, the capacity of the existing airport can be increased through expansion. Therefore, a mega new airport is not feasible at this stage. What is needed is to increase the efficiency of the existing airport, in handling luggages and passengers. Luggages are still handled manually and often get lost. Biman has just suspended direct flights to London indefinitely. Its authorities are unsure when they can resume direct flights on this popular route. The flights had to be called off after Biman's agreement with Euro Atlantic Airways on lease of a Boeing aircraft expired on February 03. Biman had resumed direct flights on the Dhaka-London route on February 06 last year after a break of 12 years. The organisation is plagued with too many issues -- from flying to baggage management. Biman's problems have been highlighted in the media and in discussions at various levels. But no solution has been found. Unless the problems of Biman are resolved, the airline cannot operate successfully. Meanwhile, the airline plans to reopen flights on the loss-incurring Dhaka-New York route, in line with a government directive. Last time, Biman counted a loss of Tk 4.0 million on each flight berween Dhaka and New York. In August 2006, Biman shut its flights to New York. The national flag carrier made a profit in fiscal 2007/08 after a lapse of four years. Such a performance is very rare in public sector organisations in Bangladesh. The credit goes to the caretaker government for this achievement. It will be another pragmatic decision if the Prime Minister does not allow the Biman to resume the Biman flight to New York. Biman authorities have informed the government of the risk of losses for reopening the New York flights. Biman will never be viable, if flights are operated in loss-making sectors. The Prime Minister's attention is needed to salvage the Biman. In another development, 26 Congressmen of the United States have said they are troubled by the removal of Prof. Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank and urged the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to resolve the issue through a mutual compromise. The group, led by Joseph Crowley and Gary Ackerman, has said that Bangladesh has made important srides in many fields. But the situation with Prof Yunus is beginning to overshadow the gains and introduce uncertainty regarding one of Bangladesh's most visible and beloved institutions. They have personally seen the effectiveness of the Grameen programmes and believe that Professor Yunus has done a great deal in providing access to credit for those without collateral. He has already made it clear that he is willing to hand over leadership to the second generation in a congenial environment. According to Professor Rehman Sobhan, in Bangladesh as in many countries, age is no disqualification to discharging responsibilities. Bangladesh's finance minister is 78 years old. Our planning minister is nearly 80 years old. Several ministerial appointees serving the Prime Minister as advisers have either crossed or are approaching 70. The prime minister as well as the leader of the opposition have led their respective parties for three decades, longer than Yunus's tenure as the Managing Director of Grameen Bank. All these public figures should have long been retired if the Attorney General's declaration in court about 60 years being a universal retirement age, would have been recognised. Fortunately, all the above figures appear to be in the prime of life, enjoy the confidence of their party and government and appear quite capable of carrying on as long as they are willing to do so. In order not to shake the confidence of the members in the continuity of the organisation and to retain the presence of their most valuable capital asset with the Bank, Professor Rehman Sobhan has proposed that Professor Yunus should be invited to assume the Chairmanship of the Board of Grameen Bank. This would greatly reassure the Bank's eight million members that their most-prized asset remains engaged with the organization, which embodies their livelihood and life's savings. It would be most pragmatic for the Prime Minister to agree to this proposal and resolve the controversy surrounding Professor Yunus and Grameen Bank. This will enhance the image of the Prime Minister manifold showing respect to world opinion. The writer is an economist and columnist. He can be reached at e-mail: syedjamaluddin22@yahoo.com