Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Mojumder, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, has stated that the Bangladesh Secretariat had been turned into a “marketplace for brokers.” He made this comment in a Facebook post on Saturday, December 28.
In his post, Azad Mojumder wrote, “Some people demand the government take a strict stance, but the moment it does, they start raising alarms. This double standard must end. The recent limitation on journalists’ access to the Secretariat has once again triggered this duplicity. The decision to restrict access is very temporary.”
He clarified, “No journalist’s accreditation card has been revoked under this decision. Its usage has merely been restricted to the Secretariat, and that too for a very short duration. Temporary passes will be issued when necessary. The government has decided to soon review all existing press accreditation cards and invite applications from all local and international media outlets for new accreditation cards.”
Referring to the Secretariat as a “marketplace for brokers,” the Deputy Press Secretary added in the post, “It is now an open secret that the Bangladesh Secretariat had been turned into a marketplace for brokers. With the government’s latest decision, there is no reason for anyone other than brokers to be concerned. We believe this will make journalists’ work easier. While it may cause temporary inconvenience, ultimately, it will benefit everyone. Therefore, we seek everyone’s cooperation.”
