Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said the government's move to ban the Awami League's activities has been universally accepted, remarking that people across Bangladesh are relieved because of it.
“I believe our entire society and all our political parties have accepted it... Have you seen any protests?" Shafiqul said at an event at the Sagar-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity on Monday.
Commenting that “the role of journalists will be reviewed,” Shafiqul said: “We are sending a letter to the United Nations office. It will be dispatched either today or tomorrow. In the letter, we are requesting that they bring in an independent expert to evaluate how journalism in Bangladesh has failed over the past 15 years. We want a review on this.”
He said: “Due to Hasina’s ill intentions, journalists labelled people as militants, thereby legitimising their killings—who did these things? In many cases, a decent person, someone I know has no allegations against them, is tagged as a militant. What does that mean? It means you are inciting the state to take action against him, to kill him. These things have happened. There have been many failures in our journalism.”
“You have lost your democracy, three severely flawed elections have taken place. In every society where such incidents occur, the role of journalists comes into question. Many now pose as civil society members. We want to identify these failures. We will inform the UN about where and how journalism has failed,” Shafiqul added.
‘Stock market must not become a den for looters’
The stock market has been volatile for quite some time, with a continuous decline in share prices in recent days.
When asked about this, the press secretary said: “I cannot provide a timeline for when the stock market will recover. These issues are practical in nature. You cannot simply say that it will be fixed tomorrow—it does not work that way.”
Quoting the chief adviser, he said: “The chief adviser said yesterday that there must be meaningful reform in the stock market. We must avoid a situation where one looter is replaced with another. Another looter comes in, takes a few measures, the market sees temporary improvement, and everyone becomes happy.”
Shafiqul said: “We must ensure that the stock market does not become a hangout spot for looters. We need to think seriously about this. Every investor in Bangladesh must benefit. Syndicates must not be allowed to manipulate the market.”
Criticising the ousted Awami League government, he said: “What happened in the last 15 years? Was there any accountability for the massive looting in the stock market in 2010? Has anyone been brought under the law for that? No. What happened is one looter was replaced by another.”
Highlighting the government’s efforts, he said: “The chief adviser’s view is that we must bring in foreign experts who can neutrally guide the stock market reform process in Bangladesh, so that everyone benefits. If the clean-up process is done correctly, believe me, the stock market will rise.”
‘Our journalists are terribly deceived’
When asked if journalists would receive more leave or benefits, he said: “This should be raised by your union. Expecting the government to do everything for you—I believe the union should bring up this issue. Negotiation must happen between the union and the owners.”
Criticising journalists’ organisations, he said: “Our unions spent the last 15 years busy with Purbachal plots and acting as agents for the DGFI. A cold-blooded killer like Monirul is someone everyone posed with for photos, saying: ‘Brother Monirul, without you the country would not have been saved.’ These are the kind of messages that were conveyed. I think the unions should raise their voice on such matters. Our journalists have been severely deceived.”
The press secretary said: “No journalist should be paid below Tk30,000. And those who cannot afford it should shut down their operations. The system at our Department of Films and Publications (DFP) is rotten to the core. Journalist leaders get their newspapers approved and keep them on top of the DFP list, even though not a single copy sells. They read it themselves, their wives read it—no one else does. These are the issues the unions should raise.”
‘No action planned against Indian media’
In recent days, seven Bangladeshi channels have had their YouTube broadcasts blocked in India.
On this, Shafiqul said: “This is a disgraceful act by India. It shows how much faith the Indian authorities have in freedom of speech. Those who have been blocked are highly respected newspapers, websites, or TV stations in Bangladesh. This shows they (India) cannot tolerate the truth.”
The press secretary said: “Many ask whether we will take retaliatory action. We have no intention of doing so. Taking such action would only legitimise theirs. We do not want to do that. We know what kind of joke Indian media has become. They literally sell comedy every day.”
On the July declaration, he said: “An announcement has been made regarding the July declaration. It will be completed within 30 working days. Please be patient until then.”
Regarding the departure of former president Abdul Hamid, the press secretary said: “A high-powered investigative committee has been formed to look into the matter. They will likely complete their investigation within 15 working days. They will identify where the lapse occurred and who was responsible.”
