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Foreign policy analysts, economists and former diplomats yesterday said the Bangladesh-India summit marked a bold shift in the relationship between the two countries and the success of it would depend on proper implementation of follow-up actions.

However, some others regarded the summit as disappointing and said Bangladesh had lost its bargaining position by conceding to Indian demands for allowing use of its ports and signing deals on terrorism. They said Bangladesh got little against its demand for a deal on Teesta water sharing and scrapping Tipaimukh dam project.

They were talking at a roundtable organised by The Daily Star yesterday on the summit and its outcome at the newspaper's conference room.

It was felt that the agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) would create new frontiers of economic activities if implemented properly. For the first time, Bangladesh would be able to trade its service in the form of transportation of Indian goods and thereby reduce the huge trade gap between the two countries.

But some others felt that instead of surprising the nation with some of the agreements, the government should have discussed the issues in parliament and reached a consensus.

They also felt that the immediate task now is to form a high-level ministerial committee and move towards implementation of the agreements.

Prof Rehman Sobhan said the Bangladesh-India summit set the climate for negotiation on unresolved bilateral issues, including maritime and land boundaries and water-sharing issues.

He, however, said critical issues cannot be solved in one summit. "A summit is all about atmosphere and communication. Through this summit the climate has been set," he said, adding, "We cannot expect the prime minister to come home with a bagful of goodies."

Adviser to the BNP chairperson, Reaz Rahman, described the outcome of the summit as very disappointing.

"Look at the Indian gains. There are too many gifts for India. The balance of the game was seriously skewed," he said, terming the move to open up Chittagong and Mongla ports to India "mega concessions".

He said Bangladesh made four "mega concessions" in bilateral security, connectivity, economic cooperation and "psychological game". "The concessions will have far-reaching implications," he said. He criticised the government for neither examining the issues nor discussing them with the opposition.

On the energy sector, Reaz, who is also the former adviser to the foreign ministry, said the government made a quantum leap into the dark.

Bitterly criticising the government for allowing India to use Mongla and Chittagong ports, he said, "In my opinion the Awami League has seriously endangered our nation."

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni strongly protested the statement of Reaz Rahman. She said the visit should be evaluated from the South Asian context. It was not just a bilateral visit as the main focus of the trip was connectivity.

Regarding Reaz's claim about the "quantum leap", she said they were in the dark before as there has been no investment in the power sector during the last seven years.

On supporting India for getting permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, Dipu Moni said the BNP-led government had done the same with Japan on July 14, 2005.

She said the issues of water sharing of the Teesta, Tipaimukh dam project and maritime boundary did not come up suddenly. "After 1975, BNP was in power for 16 years but the issues were never raised," she claimed.

Dipu Moni urged her political opponents not to oppose for the sake of opposing. She said Bangladesh wants to move forward.

Former diplomat Farook Sobhan said if Bangladesh wants to accelerate its growth between eight and nine percent and achieve the status of a middle-income country, there is no other way but to build regional and sub-regional economic cooperation. "The key to Bangladesh's growth and development is connectivity," he said.

Greater cooperation with India, Bhutan and Nepal would open up the opportunities, he said, adding that India has made a major concession in giving Bhutan and Nepal transit to Bangladesh.

He said the visit would also give a huge push for Indian investment in Bangladesh.

Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International, termed the prime minister's India visit "courageous".

"India is an economic power and we need to follow the tail end," she said. She, moreover, expressed sadness for hearing little about the opportunities that might be created by the visit.

Annisul Huq, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), expressed unhappiness over the lack of cooperation among South Asian countries despite its huge population.

Under South Asian Free Trade Area (Safta), most of the products of Bangladesh, including apparels, get duty-free access but it i

These 15-passenger buses are my usual mode of transportation on the island.

Currently, $2 EC (~$0.75 USD) will pay my fare from Grand Anse to St. George's.
The trip takes about 15 minutes in average, mid-day traffic.

A bus is usually manned by a two person team: a driver and a conductor.
The driver's job is to drive, operate the stereo, and honk at any possible pedestrian bus patrons. The conductor's job is to collect the fare, solicit new passengers, operate the sliding door, and arrange passengers in the small seats to fit as many people as possible.

To get on the bus, simply acknowledge any of the honking/soliciting drivers headed in the direction you're going. The conductors commonly solicit by yelling out the window at anyone who's walking around.

"BUS?!" or "You going up?" or for the ladies "Sweetie, wanna ride?"

Theoretically, they are supposed to keep driving until the next bus stop and wait for you, but the common practice is to stop traffic right where you are and help you aboard.

To get off the bus, give a loud knock on the ceiling or alert the driver with an audible "Next Stop, Please". No matter how loud the music is playing the drivers still hear those magic words.


The Bus Terminal
St. George's, Grenada

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