To counter propaganda, Awami League will have to dominate the media cycle, Joy says
Prime Minister’s ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has urged the central leaders of the Awami League to embark on an all-out campaign to counter the propaganda being circulated against the government.
“We have to dominate the media cycle,” he said during a meeting with the central leaders of the ruling party and its affiliated bodies at the Dhanmondi office of the Awami League president on Monday afternoon.
He also urged them to be more vocal in highlighting the development work by the government.
“The BNP is a party of criminals, corrupt people and plunderers. The party is filled with murderers. We have to make people understand this,” Joy, also the prime minister’s son, said.
“People want the Awami League to stay in power. But BNP is running a propaganda campaign to destroy that mindset. To counter this, we will have to capture the media’s attention,” he added.
He put emphasis on campaigning, saying the government’s visible development work must be highlighted.
“If we can do that, BNP will be obliterated in future elections.”
He advised the Awami League leaders to use all social media platforms to facilitate their election campaign, as well as the media.
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He asked Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif why he had been quiet in the media recently.
When Hanif replied that the party’s general secretary, Obaidul Quader, spoke to the media, Joy said all central leaders should be speaking to the media from their own positions.
“In the post-1975 politics of Bangladesh, the anti-Awami League forces took control of the media and ran propaganda campaign against us,” Joy said.
The ICT adviser strongly advised the leaders to resolve internal conflicts in the party ahead of the upcoming elections.
“All quarrels in our party must be resolved within the next six months.” he said. “If Awami League stays united, no force can defeat us.”
He also advised that the leaders highlight all the misdeeds of BNP from 2001 to 2014.
Awami League Legal Affairs Secretary SM Rezaul Karim brought up the issue of former chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.
In response, Joy said it was a conspiracy on a grand scale that could have immobilized the government.
“Because of your courageous efforts, we were able to thwart this conspiracy, and I thank you,” he told the senior party leaders.
He further said he was hoping to join party leaders in the campaign trail for the coming elections.
General Secretary Obaidul Quader and Organizing Secretary Ahmed Hossain addressed Joy as the future leader.
Protesting this, Joy said: “Let the future come first. We will see what happens.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune.