Bangladesh: The threat of floods and current politics · Global Voices
Rezwan

A flood on its way
Like many places in the world it has been raining incessantly in many parts of Bangladesh for a number of days. The rain water had waterlogged many places. Back to Bangladesh posts some pictures of some parts of the waterlogged Dhaka. He wonders whether there will be flood in Bangladesh this year.
Canadian Expat blogger Mikey Leung shares his experience of surviving a fall into a hole in the footpath and the generosity of the passersby who helped him get out instead of laughing at him. He says these holes may create a problem during flood:
Random gaping holes in roadways, back streets and footpaths, are a fact of life in Bangladesh. During the incredible downpours of Bangladesh’s monsoon season, they often become dangerously obscured to the inattentive visitor.
So watch out when you are walking in a waterlogged Dhaka street.
Expat Tom posts pictures of temporary water-logs near his house. He also describes the ingenuity of a Taxi driver who drove in pouring rain with an out-of-order wiper:
He had attached a small wire to the right hand wiper which was hanging down against the side of the car. As we drove along he had his arm out of the window pulling the wire and thereby replicating a rudimentary windscreen wiper, allowing him a small patch to see out which enabled him to continue to drive like a lunatic, the common state in Dhaka come wind or shine.
E-Bangladesh is reporting that flooding in Bangladesh is turning towards a disaster as major rivers are flowing above danger levels.
Blogger Safayet of Nagarik [bn] blog urges bloggers to stand besides the flood affected people by creating a relief fund.
Bangladesh politics:
The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety uses his verses to describe the current state of Bangladesh politics.
He signs off with a slogan:
there is no slogan worthy of our respect
than to DEMAND FREEDOM or
Be DAMMED..
Following a comment of Gen. Matin, the advisor and spokesman of National Coordination Committee on the current anti-corruption drive and the religious party Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Shahzaman Mazumder comments on Gen Matin's statement “It just may be that Jamaat leaders were not involved in corruption”:
Jamaat is not free from corruption. However, the definition of corruption needs to be widened and should include abuse of power and violation of established laws and regulations of the country.
Shahzaman Mazumder also analyzes Jamaat's ideologies and agendas and interprets:
In a sense, the current caretaker government is now implementing part of Jamaat’s plans by “recast(ing) economy, education system and administration, i.e., the total political system of this country.” The caretaker government is a blatant failure of the mainstream political parties. It shows that the mainstream political parties are incapable of resolving their disputes through the constitutional institutions of the country. The only way to combat Jamaat is to replace these aging and corrupt political structures with more potent and honest ones.
In the Middle of Nowhere lists seven instances where civil bureaucrats were replaced by military bureaucrats and asks a pertinent question:
Are military bureaucrats better, more efficient, more honest than civil bureaucrats?
The price of the essensial commodities in Bangladesh are increasing and have already crossed tolerable level. An Ordinary Citizen says:
Politics is also playing a part in the instability of the prices of essential commodities in the market.