Bonikbarta Exclusive

The "Golden Jubilee Bangladesh Concert" was organized at Madison Square Garden in New York to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Independence. The concert took place on May 6, 2022, and was hosted by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division. The popular band Chirkut was flown in from Bangladesh for the event. Attendees included influential ministers, members of parliament, and at least a hundred officials from the Awami League government. Family members of those involved, as well as peons and staff from the ICT division, also participated. A significant amount of money was spent on this grand event, most of which was covered by various projects from the ICT division.

Officials from the ICT division have stated that the event at Madison Square Garden, held to mark the 50th anniversary of independence, was one of the government's tools to cover up its failures. It fulfilled the travel desires of ministers and officials alike. Funds were redirected from multiple project allocations to support this grand celebration.

Experts indicate that a Development Project Proposal (DPP) is prepared before any project is undertaken, including a financial estimate. Subsequent allocations are made based on this estimate. Therefore, if funds are taken from a project's budget to organize a concert in the United States, it implies that the project has been overfunded or the work is not being carried out correctly.

According to the ICT division's travel records, 72 officials traveled to New York for the Golden Jubilee Bangladesh Concert, which cost the division over BDT 500 million. Additionally, the finance ministry allocated another BDT 50 million for the event.

Attendees included then Minister of Liberation War Affairs AKM Mozammel Haque and his secretary Mohammad Sanawur Hossain; ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak and his staff Rakibul Islam, Saddam Hossain, Ekramul Haque, and personal secretary Saiful Islam; Members of Parliament Nahid Ezhhar Khan, Md. Nurul Amin and Aparajita Haque; Planning Division Secretary Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty; Chief SDG Officer of the Prime Minister's Office Zuena Aziz; Managing Director of the Hi-Tech Park Authority Dr. Bikarna Kumar Ghosh; Director General of the ICT Division Md. Rezaul Maksud Jahedi; Project Director of the Enhancing Digital Government and Economy project Dr. Mohammad Mehedi Hassan; Deputy Secretary of the ICT Division Israt Jahan; and Personal Assistant to the Prime Minister Md. Jahangir Alam, among others. Additionally, officials, such as additional secretaries, deputy secretaries, project directors, deputy directors, programmers, assistant programmers, and consultants from the ICT division and its affiliated organizations, also traveled to New York for the concert. The ICT division covered all expenses.

Participants have been reported to stay in the United States for a minimum of six days and a maximum of fourteen days. All expenses were covered by the ICT division, the Hi-Tech Park Authority, the Department of Information and Communication Technology, and seven projects under these organizations. These included the Establishment of Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Center (11 districts), Info Government-3, Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem Development Project, IT/Hi-Tech Park Project in 12 districts, Establishment of a C&A Monitoring System and Security, Establishment of IT Business at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, and the Establishment of Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Center Project.

When asked, the then-senior Secretary of the ICT division, ANM Ziaul Haque, told Bonik Barta, "This concert was organized long ago. At that time, I was the Senior Secretary. The responsibility for implementing the event was assigned to the Managing Director of the Hi-Tech Park Authority, Dr. Bikarno Kumar Ghosh. He oversaw everything. I don't recall much about the events from that time."

Dr. Bikarno Kumar Ghosh, the then Managing Director of the Hi-Tech Park Authority, stated that a committee was formed to organize the "Golden Jubilee Bangladesh Concert" at Madison Square Garden, and they made all the decisions. He told Bonik Barta, "The committee included representatives from the Finance Ministry, Bangladesh Bank, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington. My role was solely to implement the concert. I was not involved in the entire process."

He mentioned that the concert aimed to showcase Bangladesh's development initiatives in Times Square, New York. "These development activities were visibly promoted on the streets of New York for a month. Through this, the people of the United States got to know Bangladesh anew. Brand awareness for Bangladesh was also important to us. The image of our country progressing to a middle-income nation was also a focus at that time. During this period, there were also initiatives to award the UNDP Cyber Bullying Award."

The former MD of the Hi-Tech Park Authority stated that some companies from Bangladesh sponsored the event, claiming, "They arranged our accommodation and meals in New York. However, only the policymakers can explain how everything was determined."

An agreement was made with an event management firm named Mainspring Limited, located in Nakhalpara, Dhaka, to organize the event. The Hi-Tech Park Authority contracted them for BDT 341.192 million. However, instead of taking responsibility, Mainspring Limited handed the task to a U.S.-based company called Paras Entertainment.

Regarding this, former MD Dr. Bikarno Kumar Ghosh said, "We could not rent Madison Square Garden or bring in a popular global band like Scorpions. Therefore, the event management firm was assigned the responsibility, and they handled everything. If they subcontracted the work, that is also valid."

It was reported that during the event, a local company named IT Hub arranged a roadshow by renting a hall at Trump Tower to attract foreign investment. When asked about this, an official from the Hi-Tech Park Authority told Bonik Barta, "I don’t know what benefits came from that initiative. I only saw that a seminar was organized, where some speakers, including the state minister, came and talked about various topics."

When asked about new investments, Bikarno Kumar said, "After that event, an American company came to us with an investment proposal. They have also invested here." However, he could not provide any details about the company.

Mohammad Mehedi Hasan, Additional Secretary of the ICT division, was contacted via phone call and text message, but he did not respond. Later, his mobile phone was found to be switched off.

The local band Chirkut participated in this event. After their appearance at Madison Square Garden, the famous band gained recognition under the name Global Bangladeshi Band. When asked about Chirkut's involvement in the event, the band's vocalist, Sharmin Sultana Sumi, told Bonik Barta, "We received a call from the organizing firm Mainspring about a month before the event. They invited us to participate in that show, so we participated."

She added, "We have been performing internationally since 2012, so we have experience in international events. Perhaps that's why we were invited."