Cartoonists believe that one of the clearest indicators of a nation’s democratic pulse is how tolerant those in power are towards cartoons, caricatures and satire.
They shared these views on Saturday at a discussion organised by Nagorik Coalition and the Facebook page “Earki” in the city’s National Press Club.
The discussants said democratic rights are not confined to elections alone. Rather, the genomic sequence of democracy lies in whether citizens are able to express their views freely, think independently and develop intellectually.
According to cartoonists, those who have recently assumed power – or perceive themselves to be newly empowered by proximity to authority – are increasingly trying to silence satirists and cartoonists.
Criticising these actions, they said the current government is moving towards a culture similar to that of the previous regime, which used cases, threats of imprisonment and even forced exile to disrupt the work of creative cartoonists.
Barrister Sara Hossain strongly criticised the case filed by Ducsu Vice President Sadik Kayem on 2 December, calling it a purposeful attempt to intimidate.
“Why did such a simple case have to go through the Home Ministry and even the Detective Branch?” she said. “I believe the intention behind his [Sadik Kayem’s] case is to instil fear.”
Renowned cartoonist Ahsan Habib praised young satirists and cartoonists, saying the younger generation possesses both tolerance and the ability to understand satire. “It is very unfortunate that a case has been filed,” he said. He called for greater empathy toward cartoonists.
Another prominent cartoonist, Mehedi Haque, said, “Your ability to tolerate satire reflects your level of civilisation. Your tolerance represents your civility.”
Citing the example of the celebrated political cartoonist David Low, he said, “David was a political cartoonist who drew satirical cartoons. British statesman Winston Churchill would look at the caricatures drawn of him every morning.
If no new cartoon appeared, he would personally call David.” He added that Adolf Hitler once said, “In war we have many strengths, but if we had a David Low, we would have done even better.” Mehedi said these examples show that one must be tolerant to run a democratic state.
Commenting on the case filed by Sadik Kayem, Political Activist and Co-convenor of Voice for Reform Syed Hasibuddin Hossain said, “Our country is drifting towards right-wing politics. When the state moves under religious politics, mob rule becomes the norm.
“We have moved from the Sheikh Hasina regime into an environment of fear, and our voices are increasingly being suppressed.”
Discussants said if Bangladesh is to maintain its democratic trajectory, the state must stop using the steamroller of cases, jail threats and intimidation against creative cartoonists. Otherwise, they warned, such actions will erode the democratic and constitutional rights of ordinary citizens.
