THE THIRD VIEW
Column by Mahfuz Anam / The Indian media and Bangladesh-India relations
The bilateral relationship must be based on a "win-win" policy, rooted in mutual respect, non-hegemony, and the pursuit of shared prosperity and deeper understanding.
Column by Mahfuz Anam / Ending impunity for crimes against journalists
Though the signals are mixed we still hope that the media in Bangladesh will see a new dawn.
Column by Mahfuz Anam / Of rivers and people
The present leadership must prioritise the development of these two assets of Bangladesh for a sustainable and prosperous future.
Column by Mahfuz Anam / Hasina’s misrule should not affect our judgement of Bangabandhu
The history of Liberation War must be honoured.
Column by Mahfuz Anam / The indiscriminate arrests and murder charges
Reckless and unsubstantiated use of murder charges will only make a farce of the law, not bring justice to those who deserve it.
Rape of an Indigenous schoolgirl / Why did the Khagrachhari school reinstate a known sexual predator?
This incident exposes the added vulnerability of young women and girls when they belong to Indigenous communities.
Column by Mahfuz Anam / Chief Adviser Yunus's UNGA trip a critical turning point
Now is the best chance for Bangladesh to strengthen international cooperation.
Column by Mahfuz Anam / July uprising and some thoughts of Bangladeshi-Americans
NRBs gathered in New Jersey showed eagerness to assist in the journey of the new Bangladesh forward.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Restoring Jatiya Sangsad’s moral high ground
In the recent past, our honourable members of parliament have been known more for their legal actions against journalists—first under the ICT Act, then the Digital Security Act (DSA)—than for any consequential legislation in any of the vital fields of economic, social or democratic advancement.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Some comments require clarification
We commend the army chief, General Aziz Ahmed, for having the moral courage and fulfilling his duty to explain to the public, through a press gathering, his own position regarding the recent media reportage on his brothers and his links with them.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Snapshots from the past, thoughts for the future
Thirty years ago, the coming together of a regionally famous editor and a near-novice at journalism along with some visionary investors—Azimur Rahman, AS Mahmud, Latifur Rahman, A. Rouf Chowdhury, Shamsur Rahman—gave birth to what we called in our first editorial the “Independent Voice”.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Al Jazeera story, government’s response and the state of our journalism
The Al Jazeera report on Bangladesh titled “All the Prime Minister’s Men”, aired early Tuesday morning, revealed some vulnerabilities of our power structure that pivots around connections, cronyism and corruption. It has also, inadvertently, exposed the weaknesses of our media and the state of its freedom.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: A constable’s curiosity and a lucky mother
The happy ending of this story came about due to a mixture of pure chance and the laudable inquisitiveness of a Detective Branch (DB) police constable, Mahfizur Rahman.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Democracy’s mistake, democracy corrects
Americans exercised their democratic right and elected Donald Trump as president in 2016. Four years later, they exercised the same right again and corrected what had turned out to be a disastrous mistake.
Tribute by Mahfuz Anam: Mizanur Rahman, a life of excellence achieved through sheer willpower
He wanted to be an excep-tional journalist, and he was. It was as if he willed himself to be what he wanted to be.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Fearful public, vengeful police
Here is a story that should alert us all. On December 29, a law student named Rejaul Karim Reja, 30, was having tea with friends at a roadside tea stall around 8 pm near his home in Barisal town.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Ignoring allegations is not the answer, investigating them is
The Election Commission (EC) must be above question. But to be so, it must answer all questions. To ignore, evade, downplay or malign citizens who ask the questions is the surest way to sow doubt in the public mind that an attempt is being made to hide, something that is neither good for the EC and definitely not for the future of democracy.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: With gratitude to Trump - he woke us up to the vulnerabilities of democracy
The United States has always grabbed global attention for just being what is it—the United States.