Bangladesh is often described as a “paradox”; it  excels in crucial social indicators while scoring poorly on the quality of governance. This paradox was evident when two contrasting news stories emerged from the same session of the Jatiya Sangsad on June 29: one about the Prime Minister's vow to crack down on graft, and the other about the retention of amnesty for black money holders. How does one reconcile such contradictions? Has the government redefined corruption by excluding proceeds from illegal transactions, graft, and tax evasion, commonly known as black money? Critics argue that the definition of black money varies depending on who holds it. Black money seems less problematic if the holder is connected to the ruling party. Despite loud proclamations of “zero tolerance,” government efforts rarely make a lasting impact on curbing corruption. Currently, the country is abuzz with complaints about bureaucratic corruption. Previously, there was noise about traders' exces...

It’s ironic that the 75th anniversary of two international instruments - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the UN Convention on Genocide - is being observed when the world is witnessing the killing spree on and forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza via Israel’s military operation. This is the worst attack on Palestinians since the one that took place during the creation of the Jewish state, which Palestinians call Nakba (or, catastrophe). The creation of Israel resulted in the expulsion of at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and 78 percent of historic Palestine being overtaken. The remaining 22 percent was divided into what are now the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. After 75 years, it’s been feared that now, three times more Palestinians will be driven out from Gaza. The human rights declaration was approved by the UN general assembly on December 10, 1948, a day after the first human rights treaty, the Genocide Convention(the first h...