Observer closed
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
The Bangladesh Observer is no more. Squabbling owners decided to pull the plug on this long-suffering daily English newspaper on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com.
The daily broadsheet was at death's door for a long time, Khaled Hamidul Haque Chowdhury, the son of the newspaper's founder late Hamidul Haque Chowdhury, said in March last year.
Journalists and employees of the 60-year old newspaper early last year had launched a campaign for 78 months' arrears in pay. They had also approached the government to get their dues.
An audit, at the end of 2007, showed the company had Tk 17.70 million in cash and Tk 111.10 million in cheques deposited with banks.
"The Observer journalists and employees have not allowed any of us to enter the Observer House since 1991," complained Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury, the chairman of Al Helal Printing and Publishing Company that owns Observer and the son-in-law of Hamidul Haque Chowdhury.
"Our family has no control over the paper's management. The show is being run solely by the newspapermen and other employees," he told the news agency in March 2009.
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, the "controversially-appointed" editor, said, "The owners stopped paying our salaries. So, we continued to publish the newspaper, demanding our salaries and allowances.
The newspapermen waged a movement in 1991 demanding implementation of the fourth wage board and payment of the dues for those sacked or retired.
A petition to the information ministry filed in March last year on their behalf says, "The owners of the paper shut it down without implementing the 1991 wage board recommendations."
Nazmul Huda, then the information minister, acted as the arbitrator, and it was decided that the owners would pay up the Tk 50 million in accumulated salaries and allowances.
Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury signed the agreement on behalf of the owners. But the money was not paid as agreed.
Neverthless, the journalists continued to get the paper to the stands expecting to get paid some day, says Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury.
Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury says, "The draft agreement required the payment cheques to be issued in the name of Nazmul Huda. The then chairman Hamidul Haque Chowdhury also wasn't agreeable as the directors didn't approve of the arrangement."
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury was a senior reporter in 1991 and Dhaka University professor KMA Munim was acting editor.
SM Ali, editor for a few months in 1989, left the paper and later launched The Daily Star. A large group of journalists also left in 1990 to join the new venture.
In 1991, when the journalists and workers took charge of running the paper, it was in fact Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury who was calling the shots.
Belayet Hossain, president of the press workers union, says, "Since 1991, the newspaper has been published under the leadership of Iqbal Sobhan. We did not accept KT Hossain as the editor who was appointed by the owners during the movement."
KT Hossain was removed. Hamidul Haque Chowdhury was also hounded out, and he died in Jan 1992.
And so stepped in Khaled Hamidul Haque Chowdhury, the founder-owner's only son, as the representative of the owners.
Observer employees say it was Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury who had brought in Khaled Hamidul Haque, who was allegedly used as a shield to keep Hamidul Haque Chowdhury's daughters and sons-in-law at bay.
Khaled began handling all operational activities and soon appointed a new editor. He made Munim editor and finally, chief editor.
A 1998 office order declared Iqbal Sobhan editor. Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury, the chairman, refused to accept Iqbal as the editor, and said there had never been an appointment letter issued.
The daily paper was first published as The Pakistan Observer by Hamidul Haque Chowdhury in 1949. Later in 1952, the paper was banned for its stand in favour of the Language Movement and provincial autonomy. The daily's editor and publisher were also arrested.
The daily broadsheet was at death's door for a long time, Khaled Hamidul Haque Chowdhury, the son of the newspaper's founder late Hamidul Haque Chowdhury, said in March last year.
Journalists and employees of the 60-year old newspaper early last year had launched a campaign for 78 months' arrears in pay. They had also approached the government to get their dues.
An audit, at the end of 2007, showed the company had Tk 17.70 million in cash and Tk 111.10 million in cheques deposited with banks.
"The Observer journalists and employees have not allowed any of us to enter the Observer House since 1991," complained Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury, the chairman of Al Helal Printing and Publishing Company that owns Observer and the son-in-law of Hamidul Haque Chowdhury.
"Our family has no control over the paper's management. The show is being run solely by the newspapermen and other employees," he told the news agency in March 2009.
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, the "controversially-appointed" editor, said, "The owners stopped paying our salaries. So, we continued to publish the newspaper, demanding our salaries and allowances.
The newspapermen waged a movement in 1991 demanding implementation of the fourth wage board and payment of the dues for those sacked or retired.
A petition to the information ministry filed in March last year on their behalf says, "The owners of the paper shut it down without implementing the 1991 wage board recommendations."
Nazmul Huda, then the information minister, acted as the arbitrator, and it was decided that the owners would pay up the Tk 50 million in accumulated salaries and allowances.
Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury signed the agreement on behalf of the owners. But the money was not paid as agreed.
Neverthless, the journalists continued to get the paper to the stands expecting to get paid some day, says Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury.
Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury says, "The draft agreement required the payment cheques to be issued in the name of Nazmul Huda. The then chairman Hamidul Haque Chowdhury also wasn't agreeable as the directors didn't approve of the arrangement."
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury was a senior reporter in 1991 and Dhaka University professor KMA Munim was acting editor.
SM Ali, editor for a few months in 1989, left the paper and later launched The Daily Star. A large group of journalists also left in 1990 to join the new venture.
In 1991, when the journalists and workers took charge of running the paper, it was in fact Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury who was calling the shots.
Belayet Hossain, president of the press workers union, says, "Since 1991, the newspaper has been published under the leadership of Iqbal Sobhan. We did not accept KT Hossain as the editor who was appointed by the owners during the movement."
KT Hossain was removed. Hamidul Haque Chowdhury was also hounded out, and he died in Jan 1992.
And so stepped in Khaled Hamidul Haque Chowdhury, the founder-owner's only son, as the representative of the owners.
Observer employees say it was Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury who had brought in Khaled Hamidul Haque, who was allegedly used as a shield to keep Hamidul Haque Chowdhury's daughters and sons-in-law at bay.
Khaled began handling all operational activities and soon appointed a new editor. He made Munim editor and finally, chief editor.
A 1998 office order declared Iqbal Sobhan editor. Manzoor Ahmed Choudhury, the chairman, refused to accept Iqbal as the editor, and said there had never been an appointment letter issued.
The daily paper was first published as The Pakistan Observer by Hamidul Haque Chowdhury in 1949. Later in 1952, the paper was banned for its stand in favour of the Language Movement and provincial autonomy. The daily's editor and publisher were also arrested.