Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday that the government's silence on Saint Martin issue is the reflection of its subservient mentality.
He made the comments at a discussion marking the Black Day of Newspapers organised by a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) at the National Press Club in the capital.
President of BFUJ Ruhul Amin Gazi presided over the event where General Secretary of a faction of BFUJ Qader Gani Chowdhury presented the keynote paper.
"The government is still remaining silent against the backdrop of firing from the Myanmar side towards Saint Martin and Teknaf. Food crisis prevails there (Saint Martin)." said Mr Mirza Fakhrul.
"This happened due to subservient policy of the government. The government has turned country into a dependent state," he maintained.
Mentioning the incidents of firing from Myanmar side on Teknaf -Saint Martin river route, he said, "Nothing could be uttered against even a country like Myanmar? How big it's a subservient and slavery mentality. People are being killed on the frontier, they are not providing our due waters, whereas the government still remains silent."
Mr Fakhrul said authoritarian rule exists in China and the country is leaning towards that and the number of autocratic rulers is increasing in the world.
He alleged that the government doesn't protest against the killing of Bangladeshis on the Bangladesh-India border.
He said, "Reports on massive corruption and irregularities by ex-IGP Benazir and former army chief Aziz started coming in media."
"Former police chief Benazir Ahmed amassed huge wealth like robbers. All political parties (rightists and leftists) are now united," he maintained.
"Now each and every day is like a black day for the whole nation. The present government has started snatching away newspapers' rights. They (government) are consciously making the country dependent," he said.
He thanked the journalists for writing boldly about Benazir, Aziz and Anar.
Mr Fakhrul said, "Is it possible to imagine the gravity of the corruption and irregularities committed by former police head Benazir and former army chief Aziz Ahmed?."
He quoted Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's comment, "Those who siphoned off money abroad from the country would not be allowed on this soil (of Bangladesh)".
Mr Fakhrul said, "The people who are now in power did hear these talks (Bangabandhu's stand against corruption)?"
He said if journalists come on the same platform, then it will be possible to restore democracy in the country.
June 16, 1975 is a black day in Bangladesh's history as the then one-party Baksal government closed all the newspapers excepting four loyal to it, making the entire nation speechless.
Editor of Naya Diganta Alamgir Mohiuddin, former general secretaries of the National Press Club Elias Khan and Syed Abdal Ahmed and journalist Abdul Hai Sikder were present, among others, at the discussion.
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