This is really something alarming. The present "caretaker" Government of Bangladesh has now started provoking religious groups tactically to corner the means of criticisms on the media. During the students protest at Dhaka University, the Government warned all print Medias on publishing political cartoons/caricatures.
The caricature published last week in Prothom alo was an innocent popular joke which was also published in another form in Kishorekantha (a children’s magazine backed by radical Islamic group Jamayat-e-Islami) couple of years ago. That means hearting believes of the people wasn’t actually the issue. The people on the street in last couple of days were provoked by some other political interests. Comparing this cartoon issue with the similar issues of Daud Haidar and Taslima Nasrin, it was no way any type of provocation to the religious folk. There were simply no such elements. Then comes the point that made the people coming on the street after Zummah from the Central Mosque in Dhaka? Who is going to be benefited if no further caricatures are published? Suspension of the cartoonist and the editor of that fun magazine and especially the way the editor of Prothom Alo apologise to the Khatib of the Central Mosque show the signals of eliminating the news Medias as the free platforms of criticism. In last 17 Years after 16 long years of military regime people became used to with criticising every authority, which is obviously one of the core principles of democracy. Why the elected Governments failed to learn from the people does not correlate itself with the democratic principles. The present Government is trying to suppress all sorts of open Medias from the very beginning. The Sympathy they drew from the people for taking former political bosses behind the grill, is going downwards with the incidents of Dhaka University, suppressing TV Channels and the Print Medias and over all the price level. Having soft corner for the former military dictator Hussain MohammedErshad and having sympathy for all Islamic Parties showing another face of the government.
The problems of corruptions are there. But unfortunately from our experience we know the governments without being elected (military or “military backed”) by the people, never did anything better either for the development of the country or against corruptions. The problems of Democracy must be solved within the democracy. Civil or Military Bureaucratic Authoritarianism is no way the solution.
The caricature published last week in Prothom alo was an innocent popular joke which was also published in another form in Kishorekantha (a children’s magazine backed by radical Islamic group Jamayat-e-Islami) couple of years ago. That means hearting believes of the people wasn’t actually the issue. The people on the street in last couple of days were provoked by some other political interests. Comparing this cartoon issue with the similar issues of Daud Haidar and Taslima Nasrin, it was no way any type of provocation to the religious folk. There were simply no such elements. Then comes the point that made the people coming on the street after Zummah from the Central Mosque in Dhaka? Who is going to be benefited if no further caricatures are published? Suspension of the cartoonist and the editor of that fun magazine and especially the way the editor of Prothom Alo apologise to the Khatib of the Central Mosque show the signals of eliminating the news Medias as the free platforms of criticism. In last 17 Years after 16 long years of military regime people became used to with criticising every authority, which is obviously one of the core principles of democracy. Why the elected Governments failed to learn from the people does not correlate itself with the democratic principles. The present Government is trying to suppress all sorts of open Medias from the very beginning. The Sympathy they drew from the people for taking former political bosses behind the grill, is going downwards with the incidents of Dhaka University, suppressing TV Channels and the Print Medias and over all the price level. Having soft corner for the former military dictator Hussain MohammedErshad and having sympathy for all Islamic Parties showing another face of the government.
The problems of corruptions are there. But unfortunately from our experience we know the governments without being elected (military or “military backed”) by the people, never did anything better either for the development of the country or against corruptions. The problems of Democracy must be solved within the democracy. Civil or Military Bureaucratic Authoritarianism is no way the solution.
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