Before passing a week, eclipse engulfed the moonlight of river Padma as the World Bank (WB) released a fresh statement on September 25, saying that it would finance the project only ‘after satisfactory implementation of all measures agreed by the government.’ Padma started shining when WB in a release on Thursday, September 20 from Washington DC said, "The bank has agreed that, upon satisfactory implementation of the agreed measures by the government, and with the support of the bank's governing bodies, it will engage anew in the Padma bridge project."

By such a declaration everybody assumed that all hurdles have been removed to construct the proposed 6 km long Padma bridge, the biggest infrastructure project in South Asia, Specially the Media and the government has given such clear cut idea to the public. WB statement made it clear `Media reports have quoted senior Bangladeshi government officials misrepresenting the World Bank’s position concerning the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project.’

The Daily Star did lead news consecutive four days from September 21 to 24 on WB come back declaration on the Padma project. The lead titles were, WB positive on Padma loan, Target clean project, Let’s now build the bridge fast, Govt hails WB respectively.
But the government and the over enthusiastic media got a thunderbolt by the new statement of the WB.
The new declaration again became lead in The Daily Star on Thursday, September 27 titled `Fresh reminder from WB’

The report said, The World Bank funding of the Padma bridge project will depend on the satisfactory implementation of all the measures it has asked the government to take, the bank said in a statement on September 25.

Last week, the global lender announced that it was re-engaging in the project after the government had fulfilled some of its conditions, but for the project's implementation the bank also wanted a fair probe into the graft allegations. In addition, the financing will depend on the "positive report" by a five-member WB panel on the manner and progress of the investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
“It is only after satisfactory implementation of all these measures as well as a positive report from the external panel of internationally recognised experts that the World Bank will go ahead with the financing of the project,” said the statement, which came five days after its announcement of re-engagement in project.
The bank felt "obliged" to make this clarification as "media reports have quoted senior Bangladeshi government officials misrepresenting the World Bank's position concerning the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project".

The bank's reminder also comes just a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in New York that she was determined to find out the "real story and the culprits" behind the cancellation of the $1.2 billion credit deal.
(Sheikh Hasina said, "We will not spare those responsible for the scrapping of World Bank funding...we are determined to find out the real culprits,"
"I want to know why the previous funding was cancelled. I am determined to get at the real story behind the cancellation of the fund," she said.
Without mentioning any name, the premier said one individual, merely for the post of managing director of a bank, had influenced the World Bank to cancel the funding.

"I do not want to mention the name, everybody knows it. That person does not have the age to remain managing director of the bank, but he had wanted to be there in the post," she told the function.
Hasina said the Awami League had never ever patronised any sort of corruption, and graft in the Padma bridge project was beyond imagination.
Hasina was addressing Bangladesh Awami Swechhasebak League's USA unit council 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York on Monday night.)
The new statement also became lead in the New Age and the Independent on Thursday titled
`Govt must meet terms for Padma loan: WB, Media reports quoting govt officials misrepresent WB stand’ titled New Age reported, The World Bank said that it had felt obliged to issue the clarification as media reports quoting senior Bangladesh government officials kept misrepresenting its position concerning the Padma bridge project.

The Economic Relations Division secretary, Iqbal Mahmood, on September 23, two days after the World Bank had agreed to revive the loan, said that the Padma bridge was an ongoing project and the World Bank would finance it. He brushed aside the World Bank’s tagging new conditions to the revival of the loan programme. Iqbal on Wednesday reiterated his stand saying that there were no new conditions imposed by the World Bank. ‘I have seen the new statement… It did not say anything about any new conditions,’ he told reporters.

The World Bank issued the clarification a day after the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, without giving any name, said that a certain individual, wanting to hold the post of the managing director of a bank, had influenced the World Bank to cancel its fund. The prime minister, addressing the council session of the US chapter of the Bangladesh Awami Swechchhasebak League in New York on Monday night, said that the investigation of the alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project will be able to find out ‘real culprits’ who had influenced the World Bank to cancel the loan.

Sadiq Ahmed, former WB chief economist for South Asia, told New Age that there was nothing to be worried about with the WB statement.
‘It will help to end speculations,’ he said adding that the previous statement of the lender could not clarify its position. The finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, told reporters in Sylhet that the World Bank’s ‘clarification’ would not cause any (adverse) impact on the the Padma bridge financing.

He said that the government would allow more participatory role of the World Bank in the investigation of the alleged corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission. There will be no scope for fresh allegation of corruption now the way the government and the World Bank agreed to implement the project, he said.
Muhith said that a WB mission was scheduled to reach Dhaka in the first week of October.

Major talking points of the mission, to be joined in by the two other missions of Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency, will be to prepare a new procurement guideline and strengthen measures against corruption, ERD officials said.
The ADB and JICA are the co-financiers of the 6.1km railway-cum-road bridge on the River Padma. The two committed more than $1 billion in loan. The Sun made the item second lead.
`2 AL groups clash over container terminal’ was the lead title in The New Age on Friday, September 28. The Daily Star published the news in front page double column but it was totally absent in their internet version.
The New Age reported , Rivalry between two leaders of the Awami League in Chittagong led to clashes between their supporters on Thursday morning over a tender for selection of a private operator for the New Mooring container terminal at the port.

The clashes broke out after supporters of former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, also president of the Chittagong city unit AL, pounced on his rival, Awami League lawmaker MA Latif, in the Chittagong Chamber House. The chamber house was vandalised during the scuffles. The police and locals said several hundred supporters of Mohiuddin came to the spot in a procession at 11:00am to stage a rally as per their prior schedule when Latif, Member of Parliament from the Chittagong-10 constituency, and leaders of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry were staging a rally in the same place.

`Editor Mahmudur seeks removal of Justice Shamsuddin’ was a single column news in The New Age front page while The Daily Star did it double column. New Age wrote , The Daily Amar Desh’s acting editor, Mahmudur Rahman, on Tuesday submitted separate applications to the country’s president and the chief justice for initiating an inquiry by the Supreme Judicial Council against Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury of the High Court Division on 29 counts of corruption and misconduct.
In the application, filed under Articles 96 (4)(b) and 96(6) of the Constitution, Mahmudur requested the registrar to forward the copies of the application immediately to each member of the Supreme Judicial Council, comprising Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, Justice SK Sinha and Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah. ‘As a conscious citizen I have lodged the complaint with the chief justice against Justice Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik on 29 counts of corruption which include money laundering, hiding information about his properties, tax evasion, forgery and misconduct,’ Mahmudur told reporters. ‘We have all the documents in support of the allegations which have been investigated by Amar Desh.’

Mahmudur also said that he had sent a copy of the application to the President by messenger.
He hoped that the chief justice and other members of the Supreme Judicial Council would take the complaint against the judge seriously for whose actions the judiciary has become ‘controversial’.
The complaints against Justice Shamsuddin are the following. Misconduct: hurling abusive words at traffic constable Md Harunur Rashid and keeping him standing while holding both of his ears when he prevented Shamsuddin’s car from entering the Supreme Court’s premise at about 10:00am on 27 January, 2011. Summoning columnist Syed Abul Maksud, former Cabinet secretary Asafuddowlah, and Dhaka University teacher Asif Nazrul for their comments in the media, and keeping them standing in the dock and making disrespectful remarks about them, attending a talk-show in London in 2011 on Channel I, transferring Tk 40,00,000 after selling his Elephant Road house and purchasing three houses in the UK, thus committing the offence of money laundering.

The allegations also include providing false information about his income tax returns of 2010-2011 and submitting a false application to Mortgage Express, Hertfordshire, in which he claimed to be a manager of Marketing Consultant, with an annual salary of 34,450.00 pounds. Registrar AKM Shamsul Islam told New Age in the afternoon that the application which he had received would not be placed before the chief justice because ‘it is not the proper way to lodge a complaint with the Supreme Judicial Council against a Supreme Court judge in accordance with the Constitution’.

But earlier, soon after receiving the application from Mahmudur Rahman at about 11:10, the registrar had said he would send the application to the chief justice for the next course of action. Hours after the filing of the application, law minister Shafique Ahmed told reporters at the secretariat that Mahmudur’s action was ‘ill-intentioned’. Shafique said these types of allegation should not be raised without proper verification. ‘I do not feel such allegations require action by the Supreme Judicial Council. It threatens the independence of the judiciary.’ This is the second complaint of misconduct brought against Justice Shamsuddin.

On June 5, Supreme Court lawyer Md Mozammel Haque filed an application with President Zillur Rahman, seeking immediate removal of Justice Shamsuddin after an investigation into the allegation of misconduct by the Supreme Court Judicial Council.
On June 7 the President asked the law ministry to take necessary action regarding Muzammel’s application in which he sought removal of Shamsuddin for misbehaving with him and other lawyers.
But Shafique told reporters that no law allows his ministry to initiate proceedings in such matters. He said that the President alone had the jurisdiction to deal with the matter as a judge holds a constitutional post.

The Daily Star reported, The acting editor of daily Amar Desh yesterday brought allegations against Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik of “violating laws and committing misconduct”. A total of 29 allegations were brought against Justice Manik, a press release from the newspaper office said. They include violation of laws on money laundering prevention and foreign currency exchange and concealing wealth information.
The HC judge had bought three houses in London, showing the costs at Tk 40 lakh, despite paying many times higher, the statement read, adding that he had not mentioned any account or source of this “extra money” in income tax papers submitted in London.
The HC judge has provided the wrong address about one of the houses and concealed his wealth information before the London authorities, the press release said, citing Rahman's statements in the application.
Justice Manik had another residence in London other than the three houses mentioned in his tax record, according to the press release. The record says nothing about sending the money from Bangladesh to London.

Citing the allegations brought by Rahman, the release said there was no scope for sending so much money directly out of Bangladesh as per foreign currency exchange and money laundering laws.
Rahman also claimed Justice Manik had committed misconduct by making political statements against the opposition political parties and in favour of the ruling party through participating on different television talk shows in London.

On June 18, an HC bench led by Justice Manik issued a contempt of court rule against Mahmudur Rahman, for publishing a “false report” on the judge's UK residences.
The same day, three prominent lawyers -- Rokanuddin Mahmud, Shafiuddin Ahmed and Ruhul Quddus Kazal -- told the bench that Justice Manik was appointed an HC judge after he had bought the residences in 1981, 1982 and 1983. Another big media item in this week was Khaleda Zia’s address in Dinajpur public rally on 23 September. It was lead news in the New Age on the next day while the item was bottom of the Daily Star front page.

New Age reported, The Bangladesh Nationalist party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Sunday came down heavily on the ruling Awami League branding it ‘biswa chor’ (great thief), and said the government had finally bowed to the World Bank and accepted its conditions for receiving the loan for the Padma Bridge. Khaleda, also the leader of the opposition in parliament, asked the people to get prepared for a ‘stronger’ anti-government movement she planned to announce soon. Addressing a large public meeting at the Gor-a-Shahid Maidan in Dinajpur town, she said nothing could stop the movement whatever the extent of repression, if the people joined it. ‘This fascist, terrorist and corrupt government would be forced to surrender,’ she added.
With the rally in Dinajpur, Khaleda kicked off a ‘mass contact tour’ of the country to mobilise public support for her demand for holding the next general elections under a ‘non-party neutral’ caretaker government.

Referring to prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposal for an election-time ‘small cabinet’ comprising Awami League and BNP, Khaleda said keeping Sheikh Hasina as prime minister of the proposed small cabinet, the general elections would not be free, fair and neutral.
She turned down the offer saying a similar proposal was not accepted by Awami League while in the opposition in the past; how could BNP accept it.
The BNP chief recalled that during the BNP’s rule in 1995, a proposal was made by Sir Stephen Ninian, former governor of Australia, for an election-time government comprising five each from BNP and AL keeping her (Khaleda) as the prime minister, but the then opposition Awami League did not accept the proposal. All other parties had also joined the movement for a caretaker government at that time.
Khaleda reiterated that the next parliamentary polls must be held under a ‘non-party neutral’ government. She said people would not allow elections under a partisan government.

The BNP chief said elections under the AL had not been fair. ‘The local government polls and by-elections held under the Awami League government were not fair. The incumbent Election Commission is subservient to the government,’ she said.
Referring to various incidents of corruption and failures, Khaleda said the government was busy plundering public money. ‘This government has been branded “corrupt” by the international community.’

She said, ‘Jail is the place for thieves and they [AL men] will also end up in jail.’ Khaleda said rot had started in the head of the government and spread to every tier of Awami League. She alleged that everyone in the government, including the prime minister, her family and ministers and ruling party leaders, were involved in corruption. On the Padma Bridge project, the opposition leader said the World Bank had found ‘evidence’ of corruption in the project before its construction. She said if the government had taken action against the corrupt elements, WB, JICA and others would not have suspended the funding and the project would already have made progress.
She alleged that the people in the government had plundered Tk 300 crore before the construction of the bridge.

Referring to the government’s earlier declaration that it would construct the bridge by own financing, Khaleda said Awami League, Juba League, Chhatra League and all its front organisations had started extortion in the name of raising fund. In her 55-minute speech, the BNP leader also criticised the government’s failure in containing prices, improving law and order and for depriving farmers from fair prices of their products.
Khaleda said Awami League not only stole public money but also vote. Khaleda said the government had removed Muhammad Yunus from the Grameen Bank because he won the Nobel Peace Prize which the prime minister desperately tried to win.

About the appointment of Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir as the home minister, Khaleda said many cases were filed against him and he was handed 17 years’ jail term during the military-backed caretaker government.

All the cases against him were withdrawn by the present government, she said adding that his parliament membership was declared void by High Court and BNP candidate Ehsanul Huq Milon was declared elected. Later Mohiuddin got membership by filing a writ petition, she said.

She said administration and the judiciary and other instituations had been completely politicised. The people recruited so far in the administration were all AL men, she alleged.

The Star reported, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said the next general election must be held under a non-party government and no other formula would work. "With the people with us, we will create such a situation that the government will have nowhere to escape. No election will be allowed under the present government and incumbent prime minister," she said. She was addressing a rally at the Gora Shaheed Maidan in Dinajpur. Thousands of leaders, workers and supporters of BNP and its allies attended the rally.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has recently proposed a small cabinet, including opposition representatives, to oversee the next election. The BNP-led opposition alliance rejected the proposal. "In 1996 you [the Awami League] did not accept such proposals [election time government comprising government and opposition representatives]. Now we won't accept it. A credible election is not possible under the Awami League," said Khaleda, who started her visits to the district headquarters with the rally. Khaleda is expected to visit and address public rallies soon at Habiganj, Rajbari and Barisal to drum up support for the restoration of the caretaker government system.
Parliament scrapped the system last year following a Supreme Court verdict. Urging people to take to the streets when she announces her agitation programmes, Khaleda said, "The Awami League wants to hold the election by staying in power but we will never allow it." Calling the Awami League-led grand alliance "grand thief", she said the Awami League was a party of fascists and thieves.

"They [the Awami League] are champions of corruption as they have indulged in looting a huge amount of public money… They are infamous for vote rigging too," she claimed. Criticising the prime minister for the steps taken against Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, Khaleda said the premier had gone out to defame Prof Yunus, who got the prize for his outstanding work in bringing about changes in the rural economy.
On the Padma bridge issue, the former premier claimed, "The World Bank has found the government's involvement in Padma bridge corruption and it decided to cancel the funding. Finally, the government bowed to the World Bank and removed the corrupt people.”
In her 58-minute speech, she blamed Awami League men for looting thousands of crores of taka from the share market. She said no action was taken in the Hall-Mark scam too. She alleged that the Awami League-led government had gone for quick rental power projects to loot huge sums of state money and kept on increasing power prices.

"The Awami League never wants the development in the country. The prime minister inaugurated the Teesta bridge which was an outcome of the last BNP-led government's efforts. We had approved and ensured funding for the bridge," Khaleda said. The BNP chief said killings at the border always rise sharply when the Awami League assumes power. Referring to the disappearance of BNP leader Ilias Ali, she alleged that Ilias was a victim of forced disappearances.

She said such crimes were increasing as the Awami League government was sure of its defeat if the next election was held freely and fairly.
She alleged that educational institutions in the country had been made unstable through political interference.
`PM lands in NY amid chaos’ titled The New Age report said, The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, arrived in New York on Sunday amid a huge chaos at the John F Kennedy International Airport. The plane carrying Hasina landed at 8:40am local time Sunday amid the chaos as her party supporters went there to greet her while opposition BNP activists demonstrated at the airport. The Awami League activists gathered at the airport were shouting slogans to welcome the party president while the opposition supporters carried black flags to denounce her visit.

New York police in riot gears have taken position between the rival groups outside the airport to avert unpleasant incident. The prime minister is in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
The face-off between the two groups has raised tension among the Bangladeshis in New York and led the law enforcers there to be on alert along with airport security officials. The US unit of the Awami League and affiliated organisations welcomed Hasina at the airport. But the tension raised among the activists after a rebel group under the banner of North America Awami League gathered there too. Meanwhile, hundreds of activists of BNP’s US unit had also gathered there in two groups carrying black flags.

Two years ago, a bloody clash between the activists of the both parties at the JFK International Airport had taken place right after Hasina had arrived there on a visit. The Daily Star totally avoided the filthy chaotic incident of the two AL rivalry groups while Sheikh Hasina arrived in JFK airport.

The Star wrote, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New York yesterday morning on a nine-day official visit to the USA to attend the 67th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). An Emirates flight carrying the prime minister and members of her entourage landed at John F Kennedy International Airport at 9:00am New York time. Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Akramul Qader and Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN Abdul Momen, leaders of Awami League USA chapter received the prime minister at the airport. A large number of leaders, workers and supporters from different states of the USA came to the airport to greet Hasina. From JFK airport, the prime minister in a motorcade was taken to Hotel Grand Hayatt where she will be staying during her visit. Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shaikh Md Wahid-Uz-Zaman, Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes accompanied the prime minister.

A 26-member business delegation led by President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) AK Azad also arrived here with Hasina. The prime minister will address the UNGA on September 27. She will attend a number of high-level events and receptions to be hosted by US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
She is also scheduled to attend a reception to be hosted by Bangladesh community in New York.
On September 27, Hasina will attend a meeting on autism to be arranged by Michelle Obama at Roosevelt House. She will leave New York for Dhaka on September 30.