Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam has admitted that he has been living in uncertainty over his advisory position for the past two months.
“Since May, political parties have been demanding the resignation of the student advisers. This has become a major source of concern for me. They ask when I will resign. Honestly, I don’t know when I’ll have to step down,” he said.
He made the remarks on Sunday while speaking at a dialogue titled “Self-Regulation and Complaint Management in the Media: Political and Policy Perspectives” at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka.
The event was organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) with support from the UK government and The Asia Foundation.
Mahfuj Alam urged political parties to understand the role of advisers in facilitating governance instead of creating obstacles.
“Political parties must realise how those working here can cooperate with them and allow us to perform our duties without hindrance,” he noted.
The adviser also said he personally heard political slogans demanding advisers’ resignations.
On the draft Journalism Protection Act, he explained that it requires 18 procedural steps from drafting to enactment.
“Although I instructed to begin this process two months ago, it is still at the second stage,” he said.
Expressing optimism, Mahfuj added: “As long as this government remains in office, I am confident that the Journalism Protection Act will be implemented.”
