Press Secretary Criticizes Past Governance and Calls for Accountability

Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, has alleged that Bangladesh witnessed significant corruption during the tenure of the Awami League government, describing it as unprecedented in global history. He stated, “Sheikh Hasina created a system of kleptocracy. Her primary role was to secure contracts for large corporations. Those who laundered money abroad during that time are now using those funds to spread propaganda.”

He made these remarks on Saturday (January 11) while delivering the keynote address at a seminar titled “The Role of Media in the July Revolution and Future Expectations,” organized by the Jagannath University Journalists’ Association.

Highlighting the propaganda allegedly funded by money launderers, Alam said, “They want to establish that there is now a rise of fundamentalist forces here, and no people’s uprising occurred. The defeated forces aim to turn you into militants again.”

Criticizing some media outlets for their portrayal of activists, Alam remarked, “Many media outlets depicted the activists as ‘enemies of the nation,’ signaling to the rulers that these activists should be suppressed. If fascist forces had succeeded, two hundred thousand people would have been imprisoned, and the narrative would have been that a group of miscreants created anarchy across the country.”

Faruk Wasif, Director General of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB), speaking as a special guest, also criticized Sheikh Hasina’s regime. He said, “She created the largest prison and the largest graveyard. This alone should indicate their intentions. Teachers, journalists, and intellectuals were complicit in a form of fascism. Fascism is not an institution; it is feudalism and authority. We aim to end this feudalism and authority. Our vision should focus on national and community interests.”

Discussing the political landscape, Wasif added, “The political parties failed to understand the Emergency of 2006-07. It was rooted in the Minus Two Theory. Those who are now part of the movement and seek to ‘minus’ someone will face the same fate.”

The seminar, chaired by Jagannath University Journalists’ Association President Imran Hussain and moderated by General Secretary Mahtab Hossain Limon, featured Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim as the chief guest.

Other speakers included Dr. Md. Rois Uddin, General Secretary of the JnU Teachers’ Association, and Prof. Dr. Sabina Sharmin, Treasurer of the University.

The keynote paper was presented by the association’s Vice-President, Asadul Islam. The event was attended by deans of various faculties, faculty members, political leaders, journalists, and students from the university.