Road Transport and Bridges Minister
Obaidul Quader today said the government will not do anything that
goes against the interests of journalists.
“The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is
journalist-friendly one. It is very sympathetic to any issue of media.
Keep trust in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” he told a press
conference at his official residence here.
Quader, also the Awami League General Secretary, said the premier
always stay beside journalists in following the path of constructive
journalism.
Calling upon the country’s journalist community to be patient, he
said journalists collect information in various ways for professional
reasons.
Except unpublished information, Quader said, they have opportunities
to gather information applying proper procedures of the Right to
Information Act but it must be considered whether the processes,
followed by an experienced journalist, is accurate or not.
He also urged journalists to think whether it is logical to take
side of journalist Rozina Islam before the truth comes out through a
probe.
The road transport minister said journalists perform their
professional duties every day at the Secretariat and gather
information but no one secretly takes photos of files or takes away
documents.
“The concerned reporter admitted her mistakes too,” he added.
Mentioning that nobody is above the law, Quader said, “Since the
issue is under investigation, I don’t want to make any comment on it.”
The Detective Branch (DB) of police has already been given the
responsibility to conduct an investigation into the matter and the
government will not interfere to this end, he said.
The AL general secretary said although BNP has been raising
imaginary allegations, the government in fact does not believe in
repression.
The BNP leaders are deliberately doing criticism against the
government and the prime minister every day, but no BNP leader is
harassed or arrested, he said.
Quader said that the Sheikh Hasina’s government always welcomes
constructive criticism and respects freedom of journalism and public
opinion.
He said the BNP leaves polls in midway not respecting public opinion
and even it insults people by not going to parliament after its men
are being elected.
The government, he said, believes in free flow of information and
freedom of media. Due to the liberal democratic attitude of the
government, media have flourished largely in the country in recent
times, he added.
Quader said the Ninth Wage Board has emphasised the interest of the
journalists. He also lauded the role of the media in upholding the
spirit and values of independence, flourishing the country’s democracy
and building a non-communal Bangladesh.
Later in the day, the road transport and bridges minister joined an
agreement signing ceremony through videoconferencing from his official
residence.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority and a Spanish consulting firm signed
the agreement to formulate a master plan for the Bridge Department to
develop road communication networks in all regions of the country.