‘Many of his claims aren't entirely true,’ Farooki on Jamil Ahmed's resignation
The adviser also stated that being a good artist and running an institution with confidence are distinctly different skills
Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki today (1 March) claimed that many of the allegations made by theatre personality Syed Jamil Ahmed regarding his resignation from the post of director general of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy were not entirely true.
"For now, let me say that many of the things he [Jamil Ahmed] said are not entirely true, many of them are absolute lies and some of them seem to be coming out of frustration due to not being able to deal with the situation," Farooki wrote on Facebook this afternoon.
Farooki, describing himself as a fan of Syed Jamil Ahmed on his verified Facebook page, wrote, "I am a fan of Syed Jamil Ahmed's work. Perhaps the most detailed article published in any newspaper in Bangladesh about his work was written by me for the entertainment magazine 'Mouchake Dheel'. Even after that, I have written in many Bengali and English papers. I still consider him the most talented director of theatre in Bangladesh. A few days ago, I requested a foreign ambassador in front of Jamil Ahmed to arrange a theatre production for him in their country."
Farooki also stated that being a good artist and running an institution with confidence are distinctly different skills.
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He wrote, "To do the second job, you need patience and management skills. You can get a lot of work done without bullying your colleagues and with love and respect. Besides, the patience required to work in a government institution is not the same as directing a theatre group. What I can do in my film unit, I cannot do in a government institution."
Farooki wrote, "I did not want to talk about Jamil Bhai's dramatic resignation. Because, in that, I would have to cite some examples that would be uncomfortable for him. I did not want to, because I respect him. But for the record, I actually have to say these."
Jamil Ahmed made the sudden announcement of his resignation last evening while attending the closing ceremony of the first Munier Choudhury National Theatre Festival, organised by the academy's training department.
During the event, he handed over his resignation letter to BSA Secretary Mohammad Wares Hossain on stage. However, the secretary clarified that accepting the resignation was beyond his jurisdiction.
In his speech at the closing ceremony, Syed Jamil Ahmed cited administrative interference and bureaucratic obstacles as key reasons behind his decision. He claimed that he was unable to work independently and faced frequent delays in securing necessary allocations for the academy's development.
He further alleged that lack of cooperation from the government officials and employees, and issues related to corruption and syndicates made it difficult for him to fulfill his responsibilities.
