BNP lauds govt move to amend DSA

Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday appreciated the government’s move to amend the Digital Security Act saying the government has finally come to senses.

“I read in the newspaper that the Law Minister said there have been excesses in the Digital Security Act. After so many days, they (govt) have come to senses,” he said.

Speaking at a civic condolence meeting, he said BNP has long been repeatedly raising its voice against the DSA while the journalists have been on a movement against it. He said the DSA has been harming the press freedom and creating a scope for repressing journalists alongside dashing the nation’s dreams of having a democratic system.

On December 30 last, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government will amend the DSA if there is any discontent as the law has been abused and misused in some cases.

A faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club in memory of veteran journalist Reazuddin Ahmed who died of Covid-19 on December 25 last. Fakhrul said the nation is passing through a very bad time and it has now become very difficult to protect one’s existence.

“Our chairperson Khaleda Zia is not even getting a scope for receiving treatment (abroad). It’s perhaps a normal matter in the current state or governing system created by Awami League,” he said.

The BNP leader, however, said they are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as people are waking up against the government.

He said they have been reaching out to people in different districts by holding rallies demanding Khaleda’s treatment abroad for a few days. “We’re observing that people are waking up through our programmes and mass contacts, generating hope among us.”

Fakhrul said people will surely be able to remove the current ‘monstrous’ government from power if they can strongly take to the streets and the journalists can write against it bravely.

He said the Awami League government has destroyed the soul of Bangladesh. “We must restore it...we’re extremely optimistic that we’ll be able to free Khaleda Zia and bring her back to the people by ensuring her proper treatment.”

Recalling late journalist Reazuddin Ahmed’s contributions to the country, he said he had played a role in people’s movements against autocrats. “He had made a great contribution at every crisis moment of the nation with courage.