cktimes.ca Archives for East-West
East-West
By way of introduction
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
East/West is a joint column written by A.K. Enamul Haque and Philip Shaw. Dr. A.K.Enamul Haque Ph.D, is a Professor of Economics at North South University. Philip Shaw M.Sc. is farmer, writer and broadcaster in Dresden, Ontario, Canada. Each month they will bring their uniquely East/West perspectives to specific topics of world interest.)Call it a cultural divide
by Philip Shaw, MSc
Call it a cultural divide. Call it whatever you want. What might make sense to me in my perch in this western world might not necessarily make sense to someone living in a developing economy. Even though that is very hard for some of us to believe in our modern society, it happens all the time. In many ways, it makes the world go around.
My journey into this cultural abyss started many years ago. I was a simple farmer living and working in a rural part of Ontario, Canada. In 1986, I ventured from that rural abode and moved to Guelph, Ontario, home of the University of Guelph. It was there I hoped to complete my Master's Degree in Agriculture Economics and Business. Little did I know then, but I would meet another fellow from Sylhet, Bangladesh intent on the same thing.
The first time I met Dr. A.K. Enamul Haque was a few weeks later in the library of the University of Guelph. I was alone working on an assignment. He was wandering through the rows of books looking for the same things I was. When we met, he told me he liked to read. It was obvious this guy wasn't used to speaking in English. And of course, I didn't speak any Bangla.
My soon to be friend was off to a rocky start in a new land. He was getting used to a world which re-defined cold. Canadian winters are legendary. It was January. He told me later he often wondered how he could survive in this icy land where days were short and the only food he could easily buy were donuts.
The rest as they say is history. That guy I met in the library earned his Ph.D in Resource Economics and is now a Professor of Economics at North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His work as an economist in Bangladesh and South Asia is renowned.
When I left Guelph with my Master's degree, I continued to grow my farm business. Along the way I had started writing an agricultural economic column for a local newspaper. As the years passed into decades I had expanded that column to several newspapers in Ontario, across Canada and the United States via satellite for the Data Transmission Network. In 1997, CFCO radio in Chatham Ontario asked me to parlay my written word over the radio. Since then I've produced a weekly radio commentary heard across Southwestern Ontario and Southeastern Michigan.
Through the years, Dr. Haque and I have stayed close in touch. Long before the internet came into vogue, each month we'd talk on the phone. With the advent of the internet, contact became easier. But what didn't change was our exchange of ideas. We call it "debating the issues". When two guys from such diverse backgrounds get together, there are bound to be some interesting perspectives.
Since Enamul left Canada in 1991, he has been back only once, the year 2000. I've made three trips to Bangladesh to visit him, in 1993, 2000 and 2003. For me it has been a real journey. Bangladesh, at first, was a real culture shock. But as the years have gone by, I've become very accustomed to it. On my last trip there, we were lucky enough to see a Royal Bengal Tiger.
That came about after we engaged in a long discussion about a possible war in Iraq. Luckily for us, the captain of the ship we were on, suggested we go to shore in the hope of seeing a tiger. Somewhere along the way, Enamul suggested we write a column together discussing some of these issues we debate at regular intervals – Him being from a developing country and me from Canada always produces interesting debates. Putting it into a joint column seems very natural.
So here we go. It will be called East/West reflecting our divergent views on where and how we see the world. It will be published monthly on the internet, initially through www.cktimes.ca. It will also be published simultaneously in Bangladesh. The media outlet there is yet to be determined. Think of it as two worlds coming together. Getting there will be the fun part.
Born at the same time into different worlds
by Dr. A.K. Enamul Haque Ph.D, Professor of Economimcs
North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Here I am – Enamul Haque from Bangladesh. Phil has already mentioned how we met and how we stayed in touch with each other, debating events as they unfolded around us and as we saw them through our 'eyes'. Sometimes our debates become intense, we tend to defend our positions, sometimes we realize that our information bases are not the same and so we have taken positions which are not tenable with revised flow of information. This was tempting. We live in a world where information is available at our fingertips. We can now virtually travel to any places on earth and yet we tend to screen information as per our need and convenience. So, I urged Phil that we should write - exposing us and our debates to all of you.
Phil and I were born in the same year, one in Canada, a rich and affluent society, the other in Bangladesh, a poor and Asian country. We grew up in two separate cultures and beliefs - Phil, a good Christian and grew up in Dresden, the home of Uncle Tom's Cabin - myself, a good Muslim who grew up in Sylhet, a tea growing township in Bangladesh.
Surprisingly, however, both of us realized that given the diverse nature in our faith and in our culture, we all can agree on the basic tenets of life. A good deed is a good deed to both of us, an evil deed is also the same to both of us. I hope that our debates will help our readers to understand that although we live thousands of miles apart, we can be good friends and the bond of our friendship is linked with the principles of our life as human.
The 21st century is the world of communication and information. We are already living in a global village - a concept that we often use to refer to our mutual dependence on each other. In the 20th century, we bade goodbye to exploitation and colonization and stepped into a world of independent states but dependent economies. In this century, if we plan to embark on a 'global village', we need to develop a habit of discussion with each other. Of course, we have differences, but as I said before, we are still human and although we live thousands of miles away, there must be something called 'human' or else it would be difficult for us to build friendship and trust.
I do hope that our debates and discussion will be step towards this goal.
East/West is a joint column written by A.K. Enamul Haque and Philip Shaw. Dr. A.K.Enamul Haque Ph.D, is a Professor of Economics at United International University. Philip Shaw M.Sc. is farmer, writer and broadcaster in Dresden, Ontario, Canada. Each month they will bring their uniquely East/West perspectives to specific topics of world interest.
