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Cancel draft broadcasting policy

Speakers urge govt

28 September 2011, 18:00 PM

METROPOLITAN

Staff Correspondent

Speakers at a seminar yesterday threatened to go for a movement against the draft national broadcasting policy if it is not canceled. They, at a seminar held at Jatiya Press Club, said if the draft broadcasting policy comes into effect, the freedom of the press will not exist. President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Ruhul Amin Gazi said they have taken the issue seriously to go for a movement against it. "We will announce programmes like blocked or laying siege to the information ministry against it [the broadcasting policy] to realise our demand," he said. It is not correct to restrict broadcasting media making a 'bureaucratic policy" as the media can be restricted through the conventional laws, said Dr Akbar Ali Khan, former advisor to a caretaker government. Jatiya Press Club organised the seminar on broadcasting policy and right to information to observe its 57th founding anniversary. Stipulating 44 pre-conditions for broadcasting programmes and 63 pre-conditions for broadcasting advertisement, the draft policy says the government will have the power to cancel licence for radio and TV if any of the conditions is violated. The policy bars private television channels and radios from broadcasting any programmes making derogatory comments about the national figures. Akbar Ali, at the seminar, said accountability is necessary for everyone, including journalists, but it has to be done under the conventional laws but not through a bureaucratic control. Demanding autonomy of the state-run BTV and Bangladesh Betar, Akbar Ali said though it was the election pledge of the government to give autonomy of the state-owned broadcasting media but they did not implement it rather they are making a policy to restrict the broadcast media. Veteran journalist ABM Musa said when a government becomes nervous, they then impose restriction on mass media. No government could survive restricting the mass media, he observes. President of press club Kamal Uddin Sabuj presided over the seminar. Editor of The News Today Reazuddin Ahmed, Editor of Dainik Manabjamin Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, Editor of The Daily Sun Dr Syed Anwar Husain and general secretary of the press club Syed Abdal Ahmad also spoke.