Over 100 recommendations, not one implemented by govt: Media Reform Commission chief Kamal
Not a single proposal of the Media Reform Commission has been implemented so far, nor has the government taken any visible step to act on the recommendations, Media Reform Commission chief Kamal Ahmed said today (14 December).
"We gave more than 100 reform recommendations, but I am sorry to say that not even one proposal has been accepted or implemented by the government," Kamal Ahmed said while addressing the inauguration of the Bangladesh Reform Tracker organised by the Citizens Platform for SDGs Bangladesh at the China Bangladesh Friendship Conference Center.
He said bureaucratic resistance and lack of political will remain the main obstacles to media reform.
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According to Kamal, the commission faced repeated difficulties in collecting information from government offices despite a gazette notification that required all ministries and departments to cooperate.
He also said parts of the commission's report were blocked from publication on the ground of confidentiality, including information related to how television licences were issued.
Kamal also criticised the government for dropping the proposed Journalism Protection Act without any clear explanation, even though the commission had prepared a draft law to support the process.
He said the government also rejected the proposal for a permanent and independent Media Commission and instead restructured the existing Press Council, which he described as ineffective and dependent on the government.
Kamal added that journalists remain highly vulnerable, especially ahead of elections, and said the government would bear responsibility for any attack on journalists as none of the recommended reforms have been implemented.
He urged the government to take visible steps within the next two months to protect press freedom and ensure journalists' safety, saying the opportunity for reform still exists but is rapidly closing.
