CTG's options
The newly appointed energy adviser has opened up a new front with Burma and India by going for international tender for offshore oil and gas search. In response to a query of the reporters, he mentioned that Bangladesh would start the work in the area which Bangladesh considers its maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. If any dispute arises with the neighbouring countries, they would stop the work and go for negotiation to resolve the issue. The spirit of the adviser is definitely patriotic but missing the ground reality of international maritime boundary issues being not finalized yet with India or Burma. I am not sure whether international bidders would respond to our tender before the issue of maritime boundary with India or Burma is clarified. This is a hypothetical question considering our relation with our neighbour.
Perhaps your readers might remember that the former food adviser remarked that Bangladesh would not accept any condition for import of Indian rice even before any condition was given. So it is not clear to us where lies the problem.
It is necessary to mention some of the basic problems we are facing now. These are: outbreak of bird flu in almost 30 districts including infection in crows. Since the immediate thrust to contain the bird flu, the matter was left to time to be forgotten by the people. But the reality is that it is now spreading. We do not know who is going to blame whom for the widespread bird flu incidence in W. Bengal and Bangladesh. Secondly, problems of the education sector are increasing and not decreasing. Thirdly, the consumers market is beyond the tolerable limit of the low and middle income groups, but we are busy formulating plans and programmes. Fourthly, the fundamentalists are reported to be regrouping to demonstrate their muscle power and destabilize the situation further. And above all, solution of the political impasse is not in sight.
The best and safest option for the CTG is to hold a general election and hand over power to an elected government as soon as possible.
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