Costly confrontation?

A war of words has broken out between Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the country’s journalist fraternity, mainly due to recent remarks by the reigning Prime Minister. The hiatus began when the Prime Minister described (at the Parliament) a leading daily, ‘Prothom Alo’, as an enemy of the Awami League (AL), democracy and the people. She also insinuated that those who speak out against corruption are now talking in favour of convicts of corruption cases. She went to the extent of saying that a seven-year-old child was encouraged to tell a lie by bribing him, and that too for a statement like “we need the freedom to ensure meat and rice”. Her statement was thunderously endorsed by the ruling party leaders who echoed with cries of “shame, shame”.

Continuing her blitz of criticism against the daily, the Prime Minister further stated in the Parliament that the paper did not want any stability in the country. She even blamed that the newspaper was jubilant when an emergency was proclaimed in 2007. The Prime Minister did not stop here, and went on to accuse (without taking the name) the former Managing Director of Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, for having indulged in creation of a social business organisation with millions of dollars. Yunus, considered close to the US, was never asked by ‘Prothom Alo’ or its sister publication about the source of funding. It is ironic, as read by Hasina’s speech, that the same people who siphoned money from the poor are now speaking for a war against corruption and humanity. Taking a dig at Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Hasina came down heavily saying that they (such newspaper groups) bag international awards, work to destroy democracy and impair the fortunes of the ordinary people.

Meanwhile, the most prominent English daily of Bangladesh, ‘The Daily Star’, carried a prominent column by a well-known scribe, Mahfuz Anam, who has reacted on the allegations against the ‘Prothom Alo’ editor, and alleged that under the anti-media Digital Security Act (DSA), its correspondent was literally kidnapped when at dawn, police in plain clothes descended in a gang-like fashion on his house, picked him up without a warrant, and did not tell the victim or his family why and where he was being taken. He was kept incommunicado for the next 30 hours before he was produced in a court and sent to jail.

According to a section of the journalist fraternity, allegations on ‘Prothom Alo’ for damaging the image of the country do not seem justified. Shouldn't journalists raise their voice in unison that no citizen, let alone a fellow journalist, can be sued or arrested on such an imprecise, undefined and subjective notion as "damaging the image"?

Mahfuz Anam also reminded the government about the role that ‘Prothom Alo’ played during BNP's rule in highlighting corruption and exposing the excesses committed by Tarique Zia and Hawa Bhaban (BNP HQs). They have conveniently forgotten the newspaper's role in exposing the heinous attempt to divert the investigation into the assassination attempt on the present Prime Minister.

Defending ‘Prothom Alo’ and its ilk, he stated, ever since its inception, they have been staunch supporters of everything Bangladesh stands for – the language movement, the movements of the 50s, 60s and 70s, the Liberation War, Sheikh Mujib’s seminal role, secularism, democracy, and political, economic and cultural rights of the people, among other things.

In another related development, the US State Department has termed the DSA as one of the world’s most draconian legislations for journalists. At the end of a bilateral meeting between Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Washington, April 10), a State Department spokesperson articulated these views. Further stating that Bangladesh fell by ten places to 162 out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), he affirmed that the US supported the principle of free and fair elections in Bangladesh. However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, displaying her candid views, told the Parliament (April 10) that the US can overthrow the government in any country, and here it wants to install a government that will be anything but democratic in nature. She even said that some Bangladeshi intellectuals show allegiance to the US for a little money.

Judging by Hasina’s bold take on the media and the US, it would appear that in the immediate future, media may not necessarily be very favourable to her, particularly in the run-up to the elections. Similarly, the US and other Western countries may not be very well disposed towards the ‘impartiality’ of the elections. For the Prime Minister and her party, the campaign may not be smooth sailing. A delicate balancing between both, the media and the US, in dealing with the newly opened fronts seems pertinent.

The writer is an IPS officer, Adviser NatStrat, security analyst and a former National Security Advisor in Mauritius. Views expressed are personal