Govt's first task is to formulate media policy through dialogue: Farhad Mazhar

Political thinker and poet Farhad Mazhar said the government’s first task should be to formulate a broadcasting and media policy by discussing with media workers.

That policy should be comprehensive so that media workers can work independently, he told a ‘public resistance’ programme organised under the banner of ‘Anti-discrimination Media Movement’ in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in Dhaka city on Monday afternoon.

In his speech as the chief guest, he said, “The sacrifice of our media workers is extraordinary. I know many who have not been paid for a long time. Many times they do not receive the respect they deserve; they don’t receive the recognition they need. As a result, we are raising this demand. They in charge must listen to us.”

He criticised the government, saying, “Those in the government who have made a unilateral decision to exclude the allies of the mass uprising are making a mistake. The conspiracy to destabilise the student youth through mob justice will lead to serious disaster”.

Mr Mazhar pointed out that the government has yet to engage in dialogue with stakeholders.

He said that the media workers played a leading role in the mass uprising and that now they have to contribute to the nation-building efforts as well.

President of the Dhaka Journalists Union Shahidul Islam said that the government was supposed to completely remove the “agents of fascism," but it has failed to do so. He said, “The dream of the martyrs will not be realised unless the brokers of fascism are removed. The state needs to be reformed, and our movement will continue until fascism is overthrown.”

In front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, the ‘Anti-discrimination Media Movement’ protested against the removal of people who were in favour of Sheikh Hasina’s government from the media, the formation of the recruitment commission, and arbitrary recruitment in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Culture. Amirul Momenin Manik, main coordinator of the ‘Anti-Discrimination Media Movement’, presided over it.

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