The Bangladesh Journal - Bangladeshi Law Adviser defends government's controversial ‘press advice’ citing ‘grave crisis’

The information adviser, Mainul Hosein, on Thursday defended the ‘press advice’ given by different quarters of the military-backed interim government.

‘Sometimes it becomes necessary to give [press] advice,’ Mainul said at a gathering of journalists in Dhaka. ‘We should understand the reality…The situation is not normal as we are under a state of emergency and a caretaker government is running the country.’

‘We are passing through a grave crisis,’ he said but did not elaborate. ‘We are all worried and anxious at this critical juncture.’

The UNDP and Media Initiative for Public Policy jointly organised the discussion to mark the World Press Freedom Day. It also marked the launch of MIPP, a new organisation of journalists formed to protect the right of access to information.

The adviser urged journalists to create social awareness against corruption and help the authorities to identify corrupt persons. ‘It is very difficult to prove corruption [charges]. So public forum is the best way to identify corrupt persons and launch campaigns against them,’ he said.

He said, ‘We consider journalists [media organisations] as people’s representative bodies.’

Mainul, the most vocal member in Fakhruddin Ahmed’s council of adviser, also said the success of the interim government would largely depend on whether it could transfer power to the honest people through a credible election.

He said, ‘We must trust elected representatives [of the people] who will take charge in future…But it is the time to prepare the ground so that the elected representatives can maintain honesty.’

He said an interim government could not solve all problems. ‘We must realise that we committed errors in the past.’

The adviser called on journalists to create public opinion against corrupt persons. ‘Create awareness against corrupt people, especially politicians, so that they do not get away unpunished. It is hard to prove allegations of corruption…public forum is the best way to create pressure on corrupt persons.’

He said, ‘In a truly democratic system, a credible allegation of corruption is enough for a minister to step down.’

Journalists participating in the discussion called for enacting a right to information (RTI) Act as a tool to fight corruption.

They said corruption takes place through the windows of the Official Secrecy Act 1923 and other laws barring disclosure of information.

MIPP convenor Farid Hossain moderated the discussion in which Prothom Alo chief reporter Pronob Saha presented the concept paper. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha chief editor Jaglul

Ahmed Chowdhury, Samakal executive editor Sanaullah Lablu, Barrister Tanzib-ul-Alam and UNDP representatives M Ali Ashraf and Anir Chowdhury participated.