Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon journalists to make constructive criticism of the government.
She asked for the cooperation of the media in creating a prosperous Bangladesh, saying, “You can criticise us, but be watchful so that no obstacle is created for the government’s work.”
“You must remain alert so that the country’s reputation is not undermined abroad,” she added.
The prime minister was addressing an iftar arranged by the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) at Jatiya Press Club on Friday.
Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu, BFUJ President Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Secretary General Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, DUJ President Altaf Mahmud and General Secretary Quddus Afrad also spoke on the occasion.
Terming newspapers the mirror of society, Hasina said it was a reality that no society can be built without honest journalism.
“Sometimes there are news stories whose authenticity is impossible to find,” she said.
She spoke about various initiatives taken by her government for the welfare of journalists.
“You have no idea how sour the television talk shows are.* We know because we’re the victims,” she said.
“But we let those talk shows happen. We don’t impede them. People talk freely.”
After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina said the politics of killing, coup and conspiracy was introduced in Bangladesh.
“Military dictators violated the constitution and created corruption and nepotism to consolidate their power.
“There was no freedom of press and journalists at that time. This freedom cannot sustain without democracy,” she added.
The prime minister said her government had established the Information Commission to ensure rightful access to information.
Hasina spoke about her government’s successes such as controlling inflation and raising the power output.
She said the military-backed government of 2007 was able to take power because of the BNP-led alliance government.
“And all of us suffered because of that. There was this suffocating environment in the country.”
Hasina did not reply to any of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s remarks, but said, “I don’t want to badmouth anyone in the month of Ramadan.
“But we hear it every day, people throwing mud at Iftar parties. You shouldn’t backbite when you’re fasting.”
She called on journalists to solve their housing problems through cooperatives.
She said all will have to be careful so that journalists outside the capital are not deprived of this facility.
*Editor’s note: In case you missed the humour, the Bengali word for sour has the same pronunciation as ‘talk’.
Source: Bd news24
