Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed grave concern over the recent restriction on journalists' access to Bangladesh Bank (BB), labelling it as a troubling example of arbitrary secrecy.
In a statement issued on Friday, TIB called for the immediate withdrawal of these measures, highlighting the unprecedented barriers hindering the media's ability to fulfil its professional duty of disclosing vital banking and financial sector information in the public interest.
Earlier on Thursday, a delegation from the economic reporters' apex body - ERF - demanded hassle-free and unrestricted entry into the BB headquarters.
The Economic Reporters' Forum placed the demand during a meeting with the BB Governor regarding the restriction on financial journalists' access to the central bank.
Various news outlets have reported on the obstacles faced by media personnel for over a month in obtaining information from the central bank on banking and financial matters, as stated by the Bangladesh chapter of Transparency International, based in Berlin.
Despite efforts to resolve the issue by seeking assistance from the BB governor, no positive outcome has been achieved, according to the statement.
Given the circumstances, TIB emphasised the importance of the BB ensuring unimpeded access for journalists to the central bank by promptly lifting the imposed restrictions.
On Thursday, economic journalists protested against unannounced restrictions on their access to BB premises to collect data.
Referring it as an unethical and arbitrary step in the way of ensuring the legal right of the people to know the information, TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman questioned "What message does the top leadership of BB want to send to everyone through the decision to stop the free flow of information when the banking sector is plagued by various crises including bad debt, financial fraud and lack of overall good governance?"
He further said "What the central bank wants to achieve through this?" Is this initiative to hide the information of their own failure to establish good governance in the banking sector that has reached the edge of the abyss? This is an attempt to protect the interests of those who are responsible for the crisis in this sector, including defaulters and fraud".
Meanwhile, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) strongly condemned and protested the central bank's restriction on free movement of journalists to the bank.
On behalf of the executive committee of DRU, its acting president Shafiqul Islam Shamim and general secretary Mohi Uddin, in a statement on Friday said that reporters have always been freely collecting data from the central bank and publishing objective news.
"The sudden barring of access to reporters is deliberate, intended and antithetical to independent journalism", it said in the statement.
"As a result, there is an increased risk of misreporting of the banking sector, which is not desired by any party", it stated.
The DRU leaders called for immediately ensuring unhindered access of journalists to the BB and cooperate in fulfilling their professional duties.
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