Welcome Dainik Bangla

Anonymous

In my childhood I grew up with two newspapers, Ittefaq and Observer. These two top rated newspapers of that time never failed to frustrate us for many reasons, particularly when it came to the point of sports reporting. That led us to occasionally buy the Dainik Bangla, the best one for sports reporting, from my own pocket or my siblings' pocket, channelling out the better part of the money I was habitually stealing from my mother's daily bazaar fund, my hard earned money!

Dainik Bangla symbolized the unchallengeable monopoly of the State, which means government in Bangladesh, over information. Government had every right to fabricate, censor, control and distort information. And we the people, stupid subjects in the eyes of the government and deemed incapable of possessing human intelligence, were meant to digest every bit of information that our benevolent government would spoonfeed us through its controlled electronic and news medias.

Those were the party days for Dainik Bangla. Compulsory subscription by many government offices across the country and DFP advertisement money (not to forget the poem from our genius CMLA poet) gave it the power to keep up with its noble venture of enlightening the people with the information government thought appropriate for the people. Any other news media contemplating liberation of information were first welcomed by DFP terrorism much before becoming eligible to suffer actual pressures from the government, which could take any form.

Liberation was a far outcry for electronic media. We were supposed to watch the same guy singing the same song. One day we saw him driving a bicycle, the following day he rode on his expensive State owned flag car, but he sang the same song, and we were supposed to learn his music by heart. Because, that was the information he deemed appropriate for us. Then, we had full liberty to go to cinema to watch whatever our censorship board had approved for us!

I call it the "Dainik Bangla" game. The rule of the game is - Information is power; don't pass it to the people; withhold it, twist it, control it and distort it for your own benefit.

Wait a minute, whose information is this anyway that the government is controlling? Say for example, Mukundu Das tells me that he is not happy because the State has unjustifiably deprived him of his land under the Vested Property laws; and I pass this information to others who have interest in hearing his story; where does the government fit in this business? Government cannot shut him up. That is his constitutional right to express his thought and conscience. Forget about constitutional right, that is his natural right. Human beings will laugh, cry, sing and express their feelings in any form they want without harming another human being. If you don't have right to shut Mukundu up, where do you get right to stop me from transmitting his feelings to others? I did not create the information; I just published existing information which was expressed legally. I think this is a crucial understanding for judging the cases of Selim Samad, Priscilla Raj, Shariar Kabir and other journalists. .

What about publishing particular information which some of us think not objective? Do I have right to publish that? Absolutely yes. There is no way that the government can accurately predict in every case what is objective and what is not. Moreover, why should we give the power to the government to predetermine which information is good or bad when the government always tend to select only the information favourable to them? The safe bet is what is practised by all civilized nations, leave it for the audience.
People are smart enough to select the right information when they are given access to information from all sources. Let me give an example, few weeks ago most newspapers agreed that 20 to 24 people died in Army Custody. The government issued a press release claiming that not a single person died. Do you think anybody from the 130 million people believed the government? Nobody did. This is an example how better quality information outperform its inferior competitors.

One of the purposes of this article is to unify those two sets of readers debating whether the information published or attempted to be published by Selim Samad, Sahriar Kabir and Pricilla Raj was good or bad. With due respect to all of you, I must say, this is not an issue for this moment. The issue is whether they had right to publish those information. And they had absolute right. We should be thankful to hundreds of Selims, Shahriars and Pricillas for letting us know what is happening in the society and what are the feelings of the people. Whether we should believe them or not, leave it for the market to determine. But, never leave it for the government to decide.

I do not understand why cannot we have a free marketplace of information where the natural rule of market will determine the fate of every information. Isn't it guaranteed by the constitution? If the government is there to protect people's rights, then why does it want to control information? Does it think that we will get polluted if we are exposed to the so-called bad information? Look at us; we did not get polluted after being forced to hear the agendas of Ayub, Yahya, Ershad and other military and non-military dictators? Nine years of garbage from BTV could not change our views about Ershad and his dictatorship. That is because we have the power to make a judgement about what information to believe.

Selim Samad is a journalist with a very high ethical qualities, Shahriar Kabir's dedication for the country and the people is reflected in almost all of this writings. Their writings earned them enormous credibility among a vast majority of the audience. That's what many of us believe. Maybe the government does not believe that. We don't insist that the government should believe this. All we want, for God's sake, is to let them write without fear and let the people decide how to value their writings.

If the government thinks that some information is tarnishing Bangladesh's image abroad, the government should address it globally. Use the diplomatic missions abroad; show your transparency, tolerance and liberal democratic practices to the international communities. Fight information with information.

Dainik Bangla was literally set on fire by the people twice in history. I remember an eminent journalist reminiscing about his emotional feelings while watching Dainik Bangla (the then Dainik Pakistan, or Dainik East Pakistan; forgive my ignorance) burning during the mass uprising of 1970. He held the false illusion that State control over information was buried forever with the fall of the newspaper. But the evil had its resurrection with full force not much after independence. Twenty years later I myself saw Dainik Bangla burning again in 1990. Later Times-Bangla Trust was dissolved. But, nothing has changed. Only the symbol died, the spirit is going on and on. We still don't go to sleep without being forced to watch the glories of our 'royal families' on BTVWe still cannot write, without fear, whatever Mukundu Das has told us. We still go to jail for offering opposite views. We still get blind folded, handcuffed and humiliatingly interrogated by the secret intelligence for refusing to compromise with the Dainik Bangla game. This evil force remains unassailable. Welcome Dainik Bangla. I salute you.

All of these letters were published in Daily Star as part of a letter writing campaign by Drishtipat

12/16/02

Rumi Ahmed, Naeem Mohaiemen, Asif Saleh, Chitra Aiyar, Laila Arjumand Banu, Tanbir Ul Islam

12/22/2002

Free Saleem Samad and Priscilla Raj

Rumi Ahmed

Michigan, USA

Bangladesh Government is still keeping two journalists Priscilla Raj and Saleem Samad behind the bars. While those foreign journalists who hired these two as fixer and interpretator have been freed and already left the country. It does make no sense why these two should remain in police custody. IF GoB think they might need to talk to them in the future they can talk to them any moment. Priscilla and Samad are not fleeing the country and they can't do that even if they want to if GoB prevents them from doing so. Bangladesh Government has to understand that in terms of international media relations, the present time is not the best one. GoB has to proceed very cautiously in dealing with journalists. Otherwise it will be the activities GoB those will make the strongest case to prove that there is gross violations of basic human rights in Bangladesh.

Patriot Games
-Naeem Mohaiemen, Shobak.Org, New York

I first met Priscilla Raj more than ten years ago in Dhaka. We
met at some cultural events in the city, and also had journalist
friends in common. We knew each other very slightly, but she
was always very friendly. I had already started going to college
in the US, and there was an issue of "distance" between myself
and the people in the arts-culture front. During one
conversation, Priscilla gently chastised me for being one of the
thousands who leave the country and contribute to the "brain
drain". I tried to strike a note of unity with her, and at one point
said "I may be in America, but I am from Bangla Medium just like
you. We're the same." Although it was all good-natured banter,
being called a "desh drohi," even in jest, was a serious matter. I
hope I was able to convince fiercely patriotic Priscilla that I was a
"desh premik".

People have many reasons to leave their own country and seek
a living elsewhere. But Priscilla chose to stay in her birthplace
and struggle to make Bangladesh a better place. What a sad
day for us that today Priscilla herself stands accused as "desh
drohi" and in jail on the nebulous charges of "sedition". The
meaning of patriotism seems to have been perverted forever.

Everyone is very concerned about our "image abroad". This
latest fiasco is a fine way to improve that image. For the last two
weeks, the American papers have been carrying news of the
arrested journalists. With the foreign journalists now sent back
home, but Bangladeshi journalists still in jail, our government's
impotent rage and lust for vengeance still remains clear. They
are beating the people they can, because they dare not touch the
journalists from donor nations. If anyone thinks negative
coverage overseas has stopped with the release of two EU
passports, they are badly mistaken.

Government Of Bangladesh (whether BNP or AL, they all blur
into one these days..) will one day learn that torturing our own
citizens is a crazy way to build a "strong nation". The ghosts of
torture regimes came back to revisit Argentina, Chile, Peru, Iran
and many others. They even came back to haunt Henry
Kissinger, forcing him to resign from the 9/11 commission. The
injustice that is being done today to Priscilla, Saleem and others
will come back to haunt our despotic politicians.

Release Pricilla and Samad now!

Asif Saleh
New York

Before last election I managed to get a video copy of the "Shabash Bangladesh" created by BNP which some sayturmed the election for them. The program amplified the stories of the people who were victims of heinous crimes and did not get justice during the previous regime. Fast forward 5 years and I see AL making a new "Shabash Bangladesh - 2" with Pricila and Seleem Samad among others. The serious injustice and torture that is going on against them has the marks of making of another "shabash Bangladesh". Our government should realise that in this age of information Technology, the impact of any action by them has an immediate and counter effect. From past experience, it is obvious that they are not paying any heed to the calls of handling such cases with utmost care and prudence. The fact that Kohinoor Mia, the infamous police officer in charge for the Shamsunnahar hall fiasco, was in charge of interrogating Pricilla speaks a volume about how much thinking they are putting in the handling of these cases. Not unexpectedly this interrogation raised allegations of abuse and electric shock torture. What the government does not realise is that by these series of heavy handed actions on such high profile cases, it is creating a serious perception problem in the international world and media which harms Bangladesh tremendously. Before this one creates any futher snowball effect, I would urge the government to release Pricilla and Samad without delay.

Detention of Priscilla Raj and Saleem Samad

Chitra Aiyar, New York City, USA

I am writing to express my great concern over the continuing detention of Ms. Priscilla Raj and Saleem Samad. Your newspaper recently reported the release of the two foreign journalists. State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Reaz Rahman, stated that their release had nothing to do with international pressure. This statement would be more believable if Priscilla Raj and Journalist Saleem Samad had been released as well.
The charges of sedition have been dropped against the foreign journalists, so how is it possible that Ms. Raj, who was contracted as their translator for two days, can be guilty? Since her arrest on 25 November, Ms. Raj has been denied access to her lawyers and family and has been subjected to electric shock treatment in the Joint Interrogation Cell. The Bangladeshi authorities who are so concerned with the way in which their country's image is portrayed should think about the message they are sending right now. They seem to think that international observers will not notice and not care that Ms. Raj and Mr. Samad's fundamental rights under the Bangladesh Constitution continue to be violated. I assure you; the international community is observing the double standard that Bangladesh employs in their treatment of foreign and local journalists.

I urge the concerned authorities to release Ms. Raj and Mr. Samad immediately.

Release Saleem Samad and Pricilla Raj

Laila Arjumand Banu, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

I have been closely following the case of the two foreign journalists charged first with 'sedition; and subsequently with harbouring anti-Bangladesh conspiracies, assuming false identities. Frankly, I was really concerned not about this foreign duo but about the outcome of their activities.
The role of some Western journalists in the recent US-led hunt for Muslim terrorists has utterly disillusioned me about the quality of journalism some of them have proudly presented to the world. It has also made me painfully aware of the risks such journalists put others at. At another level I am also concerned about the sweeping dangers of the strategies our government takes to deal with such matters.

In this particular case I am acutely concerned about the two Bangladeshis, one a journalist, the other a translator who were arrested on a charges of assisting the foreign journalists. I am concerned about their fate now more than ever.

Yesterday as I was listening to the BBC Bangla evening news it did not come as a surprise that the government has let the two foreigners out and expelled them from Bangladesh while keeping their two Bangladeshi so called 'accomplices' still in jail. For them apparently, according to government spokesperson, 'the law will take its course.'

I always apprehended such a turn of events. After all the foreigners had the strength and backing of their governments while the two Bangladeshis have only got their families and friends pleading their cases.

Pricilla Raj's mother has so far given two statements to newspapers explaining her daughter's situation and I believe her. Pricilla had only worked with the foreign journalists as their interpreter for two days. Does that make her an 'accomplice' of whatever the two foreigners were trying to achieve by their amateurish teen-ager like adventurous journalism? Now that they have safely flown out of Bangladesh where does it leave Pricilla? And Saleem Samad too, for that matter?

The foreigners apparently did not think it necessary to refuse freedom and stand by the two persons who are suffering now on their account. Or perhaps they were not offered a choice. Before writing them off as essentially irresponsible on this count too, I'll grant them this benefit of the doubt while waiting to see what they do now for Pricilla and Saleem Samad.

I have always failed to understand conspiracy theories. But that does not spare me worries about the consequences such theories can bring to implicated individuals especially if they are helpless and powerless.

In this particular case I also fail to understand and that adds to my concerns, the course of justice as regards the two unfortunate Bangladeshis now left alone in the lurch. After all, the two main accused, the foreign journalists, have promised not to do the report they came here to do. Haven't they got their freedom on such conditions? If that is so why still hold the two charged as their mere assistants? Or do we need scapegoats as always?

Much as I would like to be proven wrong the world that we live in everyday throws at my face too many instances of the helpless being sacrificed as scapegoats. And yet every time I pray Oh God, prove me wrong at least this once.

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Release Saleem Samad and Pricilla Raj

Tanbir ul Islam Siddiqui, Shantinagar, Dhaka

The Government should immediately release the two local 'collaborators', freelance journalist and human rights activist Mr. Saleem Samad and NGO activist Ms. Pricilla Raj with due compensation.

The Bangladesh Government has lost all legal grounds to keep them under custody as 'accomplice' of the two foreign journalists and continue cases when the main 'accused' were freed from the main allegation 'sedition'. Now, no law should come as a bar to release Saleem Samad and Pricilla Raj. I wonder, soon after saying "no sedition charges were filed against the two foreign journalists, they were detained under the Foreigners Act and released after they gave undertaking and apologised", how the political advisor of the Prime Minister Mr. Haris Chowdhury said with a smiling face that "cases against Saleem Samad and Pricilla Raj would be dealt with as per law of the land and the court would decide their fate"! I can't understand and as per the statement of the political advisor, how their cases could be altogether different? Are we living in a fool's paradise?

It is not repairable what the Bangladesh Government has lost in terms of its credibility in the international arena after 'manhandling' the whole issue. It is not clear to us how the 'sedition case' could turn into 'Foreigner Act'?

Taking undertaking from the 'accused' persons under pressure or in custody in the name of 'voluntary statement' has got no legal value. People usually do so to avoid torture or to get released. The statement has been made before the Bangladesh Government by Ms. Zaiba Naz Malik and Mr. Leopoldo Druno Sorrentino through their legal advisor, could be changed soon after their departure from Bangladesh. The Government may have seized their documents but how will they 'delete' all the evidences and information already stored in their brain's 'hard disc'? If they are professional journalists they will write and tell to the world what they saw, gathered information and that is their 'professional obligation'.

I personally know Mr. Saleem Samad over the last 16 years as a colleague, friend as well as a human rights activist and Ms. Pricilla Raj for more than one decade. I strongly condemn the arrest of both of them and demand immediate withdrawal of the cases lodged against them and their release. This is not the way to protect al-Qaeda/Taliban activities in Bangladesh. We will have to go for realistic move without compromising the national interest as well.