Mega beggars
Believe it or not, Bangladesh might enter the Guinness Book of Records as the mega beggars of the world, judging by the photo published in The Daily Star of 28/9/10 of a trained elephant begging for money at a Dhaka street (a mother with a child in her lap offering a GC note to the extended trunk of the elephant). Is begging going to be a mega business soon in Bangladesh?
The ingenuity of the Bengali mind is traditional, but due to poverty, it is slow in capturing media attention. (There was a TV news showing farmers using insects to destroy harmful insects in the paddy fields, without the use of any medicine or chemical).
It is a pity that some of our politicians prefer treatment abroad; perhaps they have no confidence in the local medical treatment. In that case the voters could well ask why not go for foreign/imported politicians to run the show locally!
The short-cut philosophy in life does not produce lasting benefit. This young nation has two great weaknesses: lack of good leadership, and the breakdown of the established institutions. It is followed by lesser evils, such as politicisation of the bureaucracy, rent-seeking through the back doors, misuse of position and power; and living in the past.
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