A vital shift

FOR the first time in US history, a Republican president has backed the idea of a Palestinian state. Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Bush said a Palestinian state has “always been part of a vision, so long as the right of Israel to exist is respected.” The president’s remark came in the wake of press reports that Colin Powell had conveyed to the Arab world America’s desire to play “a more visible” role in the Arab-Israeli issue. Friendly Arab countries were also reportedly urging President Bush to pursue a more active and non-partisan policy in the Middle East, because this would help the US in building the world anti-terrorism coalition.

Ever since George Bush assumed presidency earlier this year, friends and foes alike have noticed his lack of involvement in the Arab-Israeli dispute. This was in sharp contrast to the crucial role played by President Clinton in the Middle East. In fact, it was during his presidency that the peace accords were signed on the lawns of the White House. The beginning was also quite auspicious, for the two sides moved rapidly toward implementing the Oslo accords. However, things began to go wrong after the murder of Yitzhak Rabin when Netanyahu became prime minister. He and his successor, Ehud Barak, not only violated the Israeli withdrawal time-table, they found the Clinton administration a willing partner in virtually renegotiating the Oslo peace accords. Unfortunately, even the treaties renegotiated at summit conferences at Camp David, Wye, Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh were wantonly violated by Israel.

The situation worsened when Ariel Sharon, aptly called the Butcher of Beirut, became prime minister. Even before he became prime minister, he touched off the present wave of violence by visiting the Islamic holy places despite advice to the contrary. Since then, the violence has shown no signs of abating, leading so to far over 700 deaths, mostly Palestinian. Sharon felt encouraged in his trigger-happy policy because he found in the Bush administration a lack of interest in the Middle East. His tactics have included targeted murders, missile attacks by helicopter gunships and jet aircraft, intrusion into areas fully under the Palestinian Authority and the permission to local commanders to use force on their own. He has also continued with the building and expansion of Jewish settlements and has refused to personally negotiate with Yasser Arafat.

Against this background, one must welcome a US initiative, because it is America alone that can make Israel behave. If the peace process is not resumed, the violence will continue, leading not only to more deaths but to a possible widening of the conflict. This is not in the interest of America, which at the moment is concentrating all its energies on the international community’s fight against terrorism. Left to himself, Sharon would like the stalemate to continue. Not only that, he would renounce the Oslo accords and prepare for the annexation of the occupied territories. This must not be allowed to happen. Such a move would add to the Arab and Muslim people’s anger and frustration and produce angry young men willing to play into the hands of dangerous terrorists.

Khaleda’s landslide

BEGUM Khaleda Zia is all set to head Bangladesh’s next government after winning a two-thirds majority in Monday’s general election. In her victory speech, she has pledged to work for national reconciliation and prosperity of her people. Not surprisingly and in disregard of the assessment of over 200 foreign observers who have certified the election as being “free, fair and peaceful”, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina has alleged widespread irregularities in the polls, which her party has lost badly. Threatening a boycott of parliament, Sheikh Hasina has vowed to pay Begum Zia back in her own coin — an allusion to the three-year boycott of the previous parliament by a four-party opposition alliance headed by Begum Zia in support of mid-term election. Prior to the present polls, Sheikh Hasina became the first Bangladeshi prime minister to have completed her five-year term before handing over power to a neutral caretaker government entrusted to hold election. The month-long pre-election campaign was marked by violence, claiming a toll of over 300 deaths.

Bitter rivalries and a spirit of personal vendetta between the two main leaders have been the bane of Bangladesh’s evolving democratic scenario. The encouraging fact, however, is that as prime ministers in the past, both Begum Zia and Sheikh Hasina managed to make some difference to the governance of Bangladesh, in seemingly small but significant ways. Begum Zia introduced the constitutional amendment in March 1995 that provided for setting up of an impartial interim government headed by a former chief justice and assisted by other members of the judiciary who would oversee the election process after an elected government steps down. For her part, Sheikh Hasina settled the long-standing issues of insurgency in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and sharing of the Ganges river waters with India. The economic growth capped at 6.4 per cent, even as her beleaguered government completed its five-year term on July 15. It would not be fair to belittle any of these achievements. In fact, there is a lesson in all this for Pakistan which is still grappling with problems of governance.

The political leadership in an evolving democracy like Bangladesh will take time to achieve a level of maturity where electoral victories are not childishly flaunted and defeats not promptly and habitually put down to rigging by the opponents. The Awami League has served its term of five years to the best of its abilities, and as was possible under the circumstances. Now the Bangladeshis have given the Nationalist Party-led coalition the chance to serve them. In all this no constitutional provision was flouted and the election has admittedly been free and fair. Thus, the Awami League must learn to accept the people’s verdict in good grace and play its constructive role as the main opposition party in the new parliament. Likewise, the Nationalist Party-led coalition is expected to show moderation and humility in its hour of triumph and prepare in all seriousness to grapple with the multiple political, economic and social problems facing Bangladesh in an increasingly complex regional and world context.

Spurious drug menace

A RAWALPINDI report has disclosed that the health department (Punjab) will seal drug stores that do not conform to the required standards. Such a step is overdue in view of the magnitude of the problem of sub-standard and spurious drugs, which are playing havoc with public health across the country. Millions of rupees worth of poor quality drugs are reportedly being manufactured in clandestine factories and sold in the wholesale medicine markets. A research report prepared by an investigation agency some years ago, highlighting the dimensions of the scourge, suggested that some licenced drug manufacturers were also involved in the manufacture of sub-standard drugs.

Obviously, there are serious flaws in the procedures for conducting quality tests on medicines available in the market. Often, immediate action against the culprits is held up on account of legal constraints and because of delays in obtaining results of tests of samples sent to laboratories. Now there are plans to set up laboratories in various cities for carrying out tests. But it is not known how the authorities will tackle the built-in corruption in the entire testing process as well as the inspection of sales outlets which is a major cause of the problem. Not only loopholes in the relevant law have to be plugged to take prompt action, but procedures for testing and inspection have also to be made stringent enough to prevent evidence-tampering and to get retail licences renewed. Proper storage and insulation of drug shops is essential to ensure quality.