Follow-up Response to

"Road Map to Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model"

proposed by
Syed Ahsanul Alam
HUMAN DIGNITY AND HUMILIATION STUDIES (HDHS), are a network of
concerned academics and practitioners. They are committed to reducing - and ultimately
help eliminating - destructive disrespect and humiliating practices all over the world.
Their work is inspired by universal values such as humanity, mutual respect, caring and
compassion, and a sense of shared planetary rights and responsibilities.
They are first and foremost a global network of people with the aim of raising awareness
and creating framings and visions that promote equal dignity for all. Their wish to
fertilize and generate interdisciplinary research (both intra and inter culturally) and
disseminate information aimed at enhancing awareness of human dignity. They also
encourage the application of creative educational methods and strategies, as well as
fertilize more to-the-point intervention projects and public policy planning. Thus they
work in four ways, firstly as a global network, secondly in research, thirdly in education,
and fourthly with intervention. They address all levels, micro, meso, and macro levels.
HUMAN DIGNITY AND HUMILIATION STUDIES
(www.humiliationstudies.org/intervention/decency.php ) stated that: Syed Ahsanul
Alam, in his article "Road Map To Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model" explains that
"Democracy cannot flourish in the absence of good governance."
He explains: "The pre-condition for good governance is effective democratic institutions
for democratizing the society. Improvement of the living standard of people cannot
happen where people cannot participate in governance, human rights are not respected,
information does not flow, and civil society and the judiciary are weak. Nine criteria of
good governance may be used to determine whether any country qualifies to have good
governance are:
1. INDEPENDENT AND NON PARTISAN ELECTION COMMISSION
2. INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY AND THE RULE OF LAW
3. INDEPENDENT MEDIA AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
4. INDEPENDENT ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION
5. INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE
6. INDEPENDENT AND EFFECTIVE PARLIAMENT
7. INDEPENDENT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
8. INDEPENDENT OMBUDSMAN SYSTEM
9. INVESTMENT FRIENDLY GOVERNMENT."
"Road Map To Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model" ( www.goodgovernancebd.org ).
Syed Ahsanul Alam is Associate Professor of marketing at the Univ. of Chittagong, &
Chairman - Center for Good Governance. The Article "Road Map to Good Governance -
The Nine 'I' Model" By Syed Ahsanul Alam has been published in newspapers,
magazines and various web media, such as-----
http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidDate=2007-02-11&hidType=EDT
http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_33979.shtml
http://bangladeshwatchdog.blogspot.com/2007/02/road-map-to-good-governance-in.html
 THE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE (CESJ), established in
1984, promotes a free enterprise approach to global economic justice through expanded
capital ownership. CESJ is a non-profit, non-partisan, ecumenical, all-volunteer
organization with an educational and research mission.
CESJ's ( www.cesj.org ) global membership shares a common set of moral values and
works together toward a common purpose, transforming good ideas into effective action.
CESJ is proud to be part of the growing, international employee stock ownership
community. Our members are pioneers of the employee stock ownership plan, having
been instrumental in developing and promoting the first ESOP laws long before there was
an "ESOP movement." CESJ's founders were close associates and students of ESOP
inventor Louis Kelso, working to introduce his ideas on Capitol Hill, in the business
community, the labor movement, academia, and the media. President, Center for
Economic and Social Justice
..........................................................................................................

CESJ President Norman G. Kurland

Dr. Norman G. Kurland, J.D., wrote:

"Dear Prof. Syed Ahsanul Alam,

I read your "Roadmap to Good Governance" on your website at
www.goodgovernancebd.org and endorse
your excellent Nine-I's for building a democratic society.
However, political democracy rests on economic democracy, and economic democracy
assumes a social order that provides equal opportunity for every member of society to
become economically self-sufficient and free from the dominance of those who control
their subsistence in today's world. You mention "the equitable distribution of wealth", a
goal we share. The key to economic self-sufficiency is growing the productiveness of the
economy in ways that lift artificial barriers to equal access to those social institutions
(e.g., capital credit) that determine who will become empowered as future capital owners.
Only then can today's property less citizens receive the just fruits of their capital assets as
well as just wages for their work to meet their economic needs and develop to the fullest
extent of their human capacities. An emerging paradigm of economic democracy for
lifting up have-nots without violating property rights of today's haves is known as the
Just Third Way, as described in the website of the Global Justice Movement at
http://www.globaljusticemovement.org/thirdway.htm

In Bangladesh there is an evolving think tank in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Center for
Economic and Social Justice, that is promoting the Just Third Way. It has grown out of
the globally respected work with the poorest of the poor of the Institute of Integrated
Rural Development (IIRD) as described at
http://www.globaljusticemovement.org/iird/iird_intro.htm

A paper written by one of the leaders of IIRD on the theoretical roots of the Just Third
Way is at
http://www.globaljusticemovement.org/iird/bill_binary.htm
Our involvement with Bangladesh is described in our brochure at
http://www.cesj.org/about/CESJ-Accompliments.pdf.

I hope you and your colleagues will read and appreciate the consistency of your Nine-I's
with the core values of the Just Third Way and consider whether it should be integrated
with your excellent approach to good political governance of a democratic society. I look
forward to hearing from to continue this scholarly exchange.

Respectfully yours,
Dr. Norman G. Kurland, J.D., President
Center for Economic and Social Justice"
...........................................................................................................MUNIM AWAIS
<munimawais@yahoo.com> wrote:
Thanks for sending the article. It made an interesting reading, and food for thought. Good
governance and democracy are inter-dependent, and that's why, neither could flourish in
our country as well. We are caught in a vicious circle: our politicians - who are
responsible for promoting both good governance and democracy - would never let any of
the two take roots in our society, since it would mean an end to their hold over the most
lucrative occupation called 'politics'. The perpetual losers: poor masses of our countries.

Best regards
MUNIM AWAIS, Pakistan
..........................................................................................................

Mohammed Mainur Rashid <mainur.bangladesh@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Sir,
Thanks for your email. I agree with you on every point that you have mentioned in your
article. I have also visited your web site at www.goodgovernancebd.org . It's really a nice
and useful web site. Wish you all the best. Dreaming for a prosperous and happy
Bangladesh.
Best regards.
Mainur Rashid
..........................................................................................................
numair chowdhuri <n_chowdhuri@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear sir,
Assalamwalaikum.
I have read your article, "Road Map to Good Governance in Bangladesh." and have found
it very interesting. In
fact, it has been a great help for a report that i am working on. In your article, you have
explained the
first five I's and I am interested to know when the other four I's will be explained as well.
I appreciate
you taking the time to read my mail.

Best Wishes,
Numair Chowdhuri, Dhaka University
..........................................................................................................

Shafiqur Rahman <shafiqurrahman791@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear sir,
Thank you very much for such a thoughtful and resourceful writing. I do believe
motivation of our citizen about their rights and privileges and what they can do and can
not do is also very important. By democracy our citizens believe they can do whatever
they like to do(Not all the people). Our political leaders should get training how to make
good debate in the
assembly. They must practice to listen calmly what others are talking about. Sometimes it
is found by making sound on their table no body understands what the speaker is talking
about. All the members of parliament should have right
to express his views about certain problem at the parliament without fear of his/her party
leader. When a bill is brought for the greater interest of majority population in the
parliament all the MPs should have the right to talk freely about the bill and secret ballot
be used to pass the bill. The present practice of passing the bill in the parliament is not at
all acceptable for a democratic country. If we are advocating good democracy, we must
first start it within the political parties as well as inside the parliament house itself. Rules
to be formulated about the political parties activities and specially one rule should be
there that the parties who fail to send PM in the parliament for two consecutive years
should be disband.
Democratic practice should be taught at school level. Debate should be compulsory at all
schools.
As far as human right we should not allow any body to take innocent life for no fault of
him.
Thank you once again for your nice writing.

Engr. MD. Shafiqur Rahman

..........................................................................................................

Neaz Hyder <neazhyder@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear Sir,
Excellent idea. Nine 'I's. The problem in Bangladesh is lack of good leadership. We
need to find a good leader who will honestly implement nine 'I's.
We need a leader like Mahathir of Malaysia. I also believe instead of full democracy we
deserve a sort of controlled democracy. People must be made ready to understand
democracy , respect democracy and enjoy the benefits. Therefore controlled democracy
to begin with and then slowly establish full democracy. I hope you will agree with me.
I do respect your opinion and views.

Regards
A Probashi Bangladesh
..........................................................................................................

"Dr. Khurshed Alam" <khurshed@bkdc.net> wrote:

Dear Prof. Syed Ahsanul Alam,
Many many thanks for sending me your paper on good governance. I am really impressed
to see your attempt to generalize the pre-conditions that are needed. However, in order to
make it more appropriate you could go for review of some preconditions. Your further
thought undoubtedly would enrich your articulation.
Looking forward to getting more papers from you.

With warm regards,

Dr. Khurshed Alam
Chief Executive
Bangladesh Institute of Social Research (BISR)
.........................................................................................................

Evelin G. Lindner, M.D., Ph.D. (Dr. med.), Ph.D.

Social Scientist
& Senior Lecturer, Norwegian University of
Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim,

wrote:
"Dear Professor Syed Ahsanul Alam!
Your article ROAD MAP TO GOOD GOVERNANCE - THE NINE 'I' MODEL is
wonderful!
My name is Evelin Lindner, I am the Founding Manager of Human Dignity and
Humiliation Studies
(HumanDHS, http://www.humiliationstudies.org), a network of academics and
practitioners who wish to build a world of more dignity and less humiliation (to say it
very short!). I share this message with two dear friends from Bangladesh.
We would be very happy if you could take a moment to look at our website and work and
let us know what you think!
Do we have your permission to post a link to your nine principles on our website? Please
see, for example, World Democracy for Equal Dignity, at
www.humiliationstudies.org/intervention/democracy.php#alam and let me know what
you think!

I send you my warmest appreciation!

Evelin Lindner
Founding Manager of Human Dignity and Humiliation
Studies (Human DHS, http://www.humiliationstudies.org)
- affiliated with the Columbia University
Conflict Resolution Network, New York (egl2109@columbia.edu)
- affiliated with the University of Oslo, "
..........................................................................................................

Maj. Gen. (Retd) Dr. M Shahjah <Shahjahan@subd.net>wrote

Dear prof Alam
I appreciate your effort to sensitize good people of the society to participate in good
governance program.
If we can bring a sizable number of honest people in the forefront then probably things
will be easier.
Thank you for your initiative.
Shahjahan

Author of "Road Map to Good Governance - The Nine 'I' Model" is an Associate
Professor of marketing at the Univ. of Chittagong, & Chairman - Center for Good
Governance. He lectured widely at university of science & technology, Open University,
Premier University, ABAC Thailand and also in Singapore. Mr. Alam has contributed
articles to leading business journals & is also editor of professional journals. His recent
administrative post includes Director- Sadharan Bima Corporation, Vice Rector-IIBT
(Premier University), Treasurer-USTC-SWC, Honorary Special Representative of the
President, USTC. Rotarian Syed Ahsanul Alam is a well known academician, institution
building personality and Governance activist.
Author's E-mail: centerforgoodgovernance@yahoo.com ,
Fax: 880-31-2550872