Empower unions, avoid political ties to safeguard rights

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged journalists to strengthen their own unions and avoid alignment with any political party, saying this is the only way to protect their professional rights and ensure true media freedom, report agencies.

Speaking at the opening session of the biennial council of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) at the Jatiya Press Club, he also expressed concern that social media are being used to create anarchy in the country and obstruct the democratic transition.

"Golam Parwar (Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami) has rightly said that journalists should prioritise their own demands, their own work, and that the main responsibility of their unions is to engage with the owners or the government on these demands," Fakhrul said.

He also said aligning with any political party, whether the ruling or the opposition, does not solve journalists' problems.

"Over the last 15 years, fascism under Sheikh Hasina has completely destroyed that space in the media sector in a planned way. I would request your (journalists') leaders to try to move away from that position," the BNP leader said.

He said if journalists want to establish their rights-whether in employment or other areas-their unions need to become stronger.

"You must stand strong, and you must stand on your own without being involved with any political party. Only then will you be able to secure what you deserve. In other words, you have to carry out the true responsibility of the union with full accountability," Fakhrul said.

The BNP leader also praised journalists who opposed fascism during the anti-fascist movement.

Representatives of 18 affiliated journalist unions from across the country, including the Dhaka Union of Journalists, took part in the council.

Meanhile, Mirza Fakhrul urged the interim government not to rush the passage of two major laws, warning that such moves by a non-elected administration can undermine the country's democratic process.

In a statement, he said, "We have learned from reliable sources that the current interim government is trying to hurriedly pass two laws --one is a revised draft of the Police Commission Ordinance 2025, and the other is a law related to NGOs."