The country’s media are still not fully free, opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman has said. He said the media must be free to work in order to present truthful and objective news.
The opposition leader made the remarks at a views-exchange meeting with journalists at the Bagerhat Circuit House on Friday (7 August) morning.
He said the media must call white white and black black. “If I have any fault, that too must be said.” Even when media workers have specific information about irregularities, corruption, extortion, thuggery, dominance and abuse of power, they still cannot broadcast it freely, he said.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman said political killings, violence, repression and rising commodity prices had made ordinary people’s lives unbearable. How far the government had succeeded in this situation, the people would judge, he said, adding: “We do not want to comment much on this.”
Turning to the power sector, the Jamaat Amir said people were not getting enough electricity, yet ordinary people were being harassed by phantom bills. He called on the authorities concerned to take effective steps.
On political violence, Dr Shafiqur Rahman said establishing peace and order was now the demand of the times. Maintaining law and order and ensuring a peaceful environment was the government’s responsibility, he said. Politics was a space for healthy cultural practice, with no place for thugs or people with a criminal mindset.
He said central permission would be needed to bring the Awami League and its leaders and workers into their party. Their time to do politics had not yet come, he said. “They have emptied the laps of countless mothers. In return they have not even expressed regret so far. On the contrary, they are still issuing threats.” He said the government should, on its own responsibility, bring to justice Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina and the leaders and workers who face cases and sentences.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report