Mahfuz Anam

THE THIRD VIEW

Editor and publisher, The Daily Star

Column by Mahfuz Anam: The middle income ‘intellectual’ trap

The intellectual trap refers to a country’s policymakers’ inability to ensure crucial intellectual freedom.

1w ago

Column by Mahfuz Anam: DSA was legislated ignoring journalists

And it is being amended in the same way.

3w ago

Editor’s Note

Pahela Baishakh is a reminder of our rich culture and beauty and we welcome the Bengali New Year with celebrations of our tradition in all its magnificence and glory.

DSA against Prothom Alo correspondent and editor

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Only journalists can protect journalism

Others will never do, as they only want to use us

Goodbye, gentle soul

On meeting Rokia Afzal Rahman for the first time, one would most likely be disarmed by her demeanour.

Many words are written every year in remembrance of the spirit of ’71. For all our essays, reports and opinion pieces on the legacy of the Liberation War, a certain texture of the history is nevertheless lost amidst the grand political narratives being crafted.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Not road accidents, but ‘murder’ by neglect

A death is an accident only when it occurs in spite of all logical, scientific and experience-based steps taken to prevent it.

‘We will do whatever is required for the welfare of the people’

So who determines what is ‘required’ to ensure that welfare?

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Rewarding thuggery, punishing talent

The worrisome state of once glorious student activism

Securing the safety of ordinary students

The real culprit is the BCL's sense of entitlement.

Newly elected president in Bangladesh Md Shahabuddin

President, Presidency and Democracy

A government cannot always be totally moral, but a president has to be.

Abdur Rouf Chowdhury: Entrepreneur par excellence

Rouf bhai was one of the most creative entrepreneurs in the country, having founded many companies in very diverse fields

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Child abuse and our crumbling social norms

There is a bias against the poor that leads to a general acceptance of violence against them.

Elected government vs permanent bureaucrats

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Who runs the country?

There is no question as to who runs the country. It is Sheikh Hasina, our prime minister. But who does she run it through?

Mahfuz Anam Writes: In ‘Smart Bangladesh,’ how smart is it to kill our rivers?

As if in vengeance we have been ferociously and relentlessly destroying our rivers in, what can only be termed as, a suicidal streak.

PM Sheikh Hasina and Obaidul Quader at the AL Council

Mahfuz Anam writes: What is the state of Awami League as a political party?

This election year, the question that will inevitably come to the fore is of how successful AL has been in keeping its promises.

Mahfuz Anam writes: From Bangabandhu to Sheikh Hasina

Awami League’s journey from a party leading a struggle to a party long in power.

COLUMN BY MAHFUZ ANAM: A competition of errors

Is our government so weak that a proposed public meeting threatens it?

Big budget, bigger corruption

Lack of accountability and the culture of impunity destroyed governance from within.

Will the government touch the ‘untouchables’?

The default-loan narrative has smeared our otherwise powerful story of graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: The underlying story of a simple photograph

As an editor, I commend the photographer, the caption writer, and the news editor for depicting a sad reality with such subtle deftness.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: UK’s Conservative Party and Our Politics

Recent leadership changes may appear chaotic, but ultimately demonstrate political accountability

Will free media be harassed in the name of data protection?

DSA’s new curbs and OTT draft rules give the opening

Bangladesh Press Council: Is the protector turning into a ‘predator’?

What is of serious concern for us is the secrecy with which the Press Council has dealt with the matter.

Is the Press Council looking out for journalists' interests?

Will the amended Press Council Act further restrain free press?

DS View: Embarrassing the PM to the core

While speaking at an event in Chattogram, last evening (August 18, 2022), our Foreign Minister Abdul Momen, said “I went to India and said Sheikh Hasina’s continuation must be ensured.”

We and especially our government in Bangladesh must move away from the culture of denial and develop the confidence of being self-critical. No government in the world has ever fallen for being self-critical. On the contrary, it fell from power for being s

Column by Mahfuz Anam: No govt has ever fallen for being self-critical

If we want to stop being lectured by international bodies, then we as a people, and much more so our government, must listen to our own critical voices.

‘Walkman Syndrome’ afflicts the AL and our government

Nothing but their own voices reaches them

CEC hits the nail on the head, but the wrong nail

“Democracy will die if people don’t vote.” This is a very powerful statement from CEC Kazi Habibul Awal.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Looking at Bangladesh through the minorities’ eyes

Religious tolerance is the most important value which a modern society must instil within itself, and Bangladesh is no exception.

Tribute by Mahfuz Anam: A fighter for independent journalism

The fact that Latifur Rahman, Shamim Bhai to us all, is no longer among us still feels unreal.

Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: Sheikh Hasina’s ‘finest hour’

Borrowing from the title of the second volume of Winston Churchill’s six-part history of the Second World War, I would like to term the completion of the Padma Bridge as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s “finest hour”.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: New assault on the freedom of the press and expression

There is a new assault on the freedom of the press. This time, sadly, it comes from another section of the mass media itself – the television.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Reading into the recent speeches of the US ambassador

There was a time when the US government left no stone unturned to oust the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

Bangladesh Private Universities initiative

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Private Universities - A grand initiative going sour

There is a peculiar trend in Bangladesh. When someone starts something innovative, then hundreds of copycats spoil it.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Why are there so many laws against free media?

With the numerous laws that already exist to regulate—or better still, suppress—the media, and the diligence with which new ones are being prepared, one would think that of all the areas that need fixing, our government expects the journalists to be “fixed” first. But why?

PM’s remarks: The Daily Star editor explains

Yesterday, Wednesday, 18th May, during her speech marking her homecoming from exile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a reference to me.

Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: What sort of a mindset is it?

Our foreign minister announced on Tuesday that he sought India’s assistance in lifting the sanctions against Rab.

Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: Can we really have a free and fair election?

Recently, the chief election commissioner (CEC) urged all political parties to participate in the national election so that “democracy can flourish.”

Dawn of a new Baishakh

Pahela Baishakh is back, so is the promise of a new year that it never fails to bring. After a two-year gap forced by the pandemic precautions, we are once again set to celebrate this very Bengali festival with all the fervour and gaiety it demands.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Turmoil in the neighbourhood

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Pakistan, Sri Lanka and lessons for Bangladesh

Two important members of our South Asian community stand as examples of how not to run a country.

Ukraine-Russia war will affect food security

While the world was already passing through various challenges including Covid-19 pandemic, climate change that affected food production and supply chains, Ukraine war has further complicated the global situation in the food sector.

Editor's Note

Today marks 51 years of Bangladesh as an independent nation. Fifty-one years ago, in the face of a brutal massacre by the Pakistani junta, the Bangladesh Revolution was sparked.

Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: Arrogance and a disaster

Russia felt insecure, or should we say President Putin, and so Ukraine had to be invaded, population from major parts of the country had to leave their homes, millions had to become refugees, thousands had to die -- including Russian soldiers, many foreigners and a Bangladeshi sailor -- a nation needed to be terrorised and the world thrown into turmoil.

Column by Mahfuz Anam: Search Committee’s Final Hour

As announced, the Search Committee for the Election Commission will submit its recommendations to the president today, February 24, 2022.

Search Committee’s final hour: History will judge whether it was their finest

Tomorrow (February 24, 2022), the Search Committee will submit its recommendations to the President. Regrettably it will be done as before – in secrecy. We will never know (unless the President decides otherwise and sets a new precedent, and we hope he does) the ten names they recommended and only learn about the five the President will choose in consultation with the Prime Minister.

From prisoner of war to cultural icon

In 1970, a young Rabindra Sangeet singer caused a sensation, when his rendition of “Jani Jani Go” made its way to number one rank on the country’s best-selling chart. This feat shattered the general assumption that Rabindra Sangeet was not “commercially viable”. Only a year later, he was imprisoned and tortured by the Pakistani Army, formally accused of “inciting the people with nationalistic and revolutionary songs”.