We have had so many reform commissions, but none on education, reflecting our own sense of priority.
Democracy does not seem to be our focus today. Because if it were, then shouldn’t we have been talking about elections more?
Reform of political parties is of urgent need
Just as the fundamental reforms are necessary for the country, so is an elected government.
Right now, there are two major issues: progress of reforms, and the prospect of election
Bangladesh needs a new political party with youthful energy, spirited patriotism, and genuine love for the poor and downtrodden.
We must renew our pledge to journalistic ethos and commitment to democracy, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and public service.
Sadly, some very disturbing signs can still be seen that are posing a new set of threats against free press.
At 50, it’s time we acted in a manner that reflects a confident country, not one that is nervous and insecure fearing that the slightest criticism will cause us harm.
Isn’t personal freedom one of the most cherished and universally celebrated principles of our civilisation? Isn’t guaranteeing this freedom the most sacred task of a modern state?
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
