Press Secretary Promotes Truthful Journalism, Clarifies Stance on Grameen Institutions
Prime Adviser’s Press Secretary Mohammad Shafiqul Alam has urged all content creators and media professionals to uphold the truth in their online work. “We want media freedom in Bangladesh to be institutional. We want people to learn to speak out and engage in constructive criticism,” he said. “But what we’re seeing on YouTube and Facebook—people changing their statements from morning to evening—is not good journalism.”
He made these remarks on Monday afternoon while addressing the ‘Meet the Reporters’ event at the Sagar-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in Segunbagicha. The program was presided over by DRU President Abu Saleh Akon and General Secretary Mainul Hasan Sohel. DRU Vice President Gazi Anwar was also present.
Emphasizing the value of criticism, he stated, “Criticism opens our eyes. Every day, people say many false things about us. But we haven’t silenced anyone. That too is a form of journalism—someone says one thing in the morning and something else at night. If we fail or do wrong, write about it—but don’t write falsehoods.”
Regarding the Cyber Security Act, he added, “Nine evolutionary provisions have been excluded to ensure journalists are not silenced. The criminalization aspect has also been removed. So, write the truth.”
At the conclusion of the event, Mohammad Shafiqul Alam inaugurated DRU’s new 'Guest Canteen' for members and guests. Among others present at the inauguration were DRU Joint Secretary Nadia Sharmin, Hospitality Secretary Mohammad Salim Ullah, Welfare Secretary Rafique Mridha, and Executive Committee Member Suman Chowdhury.
Earlier during the discussion, he responded to a question from journalists regarding whether several Grameen-affiliated institutions—such as Grameen University, Grameen Employment Agency, and Grameen Wallet—had received approvals or special treatment during the tenure of Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
He countered by saying, “Look into whether the caretaker government had any role or interference in granting approvals. Are the institutions you’re referring to actually Dr. Yunus’s personal ventures? Does he hold any shares or personal benefit from them? In fact, does Dr. Yunus own any personal property? He may have lent the name ‘Grameen’, but he is not a shareholder in these organizations. The government had no role in the approvals they received. I encourage everyone to investigate this thoroughly.”
Addressing the issue of the Grameen Employment Agency, he added, “They applied for a license in 2009. At that time, Dr. Yunus had visited Saudi Arabia where a Saudi-German hospital chain asked him to send nurses and hospital staff. They did not want to recruit through regular Bangladeshi agencies to reduce costs. Based on that, they applied for a license during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, but the government did not grant it. If the license was approved post-2024, what’s the harm? Bangladesh has around 3,500 such agencies.”
Regarding Grameen University, he explained, “The initiative was taken between 2012 and 2014. Around 200–300 bighas of land were purchased in Purbachal in 2014. Every time an application was submitted to the University Grants Commission, they were told not to proceed, as no approval would be given. Only after a six-month audit was the university approved recently.”
