Media Reform Commission chief Kamal Ahmed has expressed frustration over the interim government’s failure to implement any of the commission’s recommendations, submitted nine months ago on 22 March.
He spoke on the matter during the 6th Broadcast Conference organised by the Broadcast Journalists Centre (BJC) at the International Mother Language Institute in Segunbagicha on Saturday.
“Not a single proposal has been realised so far. I am saddened by this,” said Kamal Ahmed, who currently also serves as consulting editor at The Daily Star.
Addressing Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the chief guest at the conference, Kamal Ahmed said, “You personally may not bear the blame, but the interim government certainly does. The truth is, they have done nothing.”
According to Kamal, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had asked the commission to provide a list of recommendations that could be implemented immediately. “We submitted that list within 24 hours,” he said. “Although the chief adviser reportedly instructed several times to act on it, nothing happened.”
He criticised officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for circulating the report among various departments only for them to be told that the recommendations were “not feasible”.
Ahmed also pointed out that proposals, such as the one recommending that Bangladesh Television (BTV), Bangladesh Betar, and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) be merged into an autonomous public broadcasting entity, remain unaddressed.
According to Ahmed, two separate committees – one led by Education Adviser CR Abrar and another by Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud – were formed, but neither has produced any tangible outcome. “The government could have implemented at least 20 recommendations with a simple executive order. Now, time is running out,” he said.
In her speech, Syeda Rizwana Hasan assured that the Broadcast Commission ordinance would be passed within the next month-and-a-half. She attributed the attacks on media institutions to vested interests attempting to protect their agendas and also pledged progress on the Press Commission ordinance.
The conference also saw the launch of a book on journalistic ethics.
Other speakers at the conference included Supreme Court lawyer Sara Hossain, senior journalist and BJC adviser Khairul Anwar, Jamuna Television CEO and BJC trustee Fahim Ahmed, BBC Media Action Bangladesh representative Md Al Mamun, and journalists Talat Mamun, Elias Hossain, and Milton Anwar.
The event was moderated by journalist Shahnaz Sharmeen.
