Photo: Bonik Barta Executive
Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), Dr. Iftekharuzzaman,
expressed concerns about whether the country is moving from one form of
authoritarianism to another. He made these remarks during a discussion meeting
this Sunday (September 29) morning, organized on the occasion of International
Right to Information Day.
“We
have experienced times when institutional activities would come to a halt if
people asked for information. It was a period when speaking up about people’s
rights was considered a crime.”, said Dr. Iftekharuzzaman. “The organizations
that worked on rights-based initiatives, good governance, and combating
corruption had their funding cut off. Now, we are dreaming of a new
Bangladesh.”
Dr.
Iftekharuzzaman added that decisions regarding which organizations would
receive funding and which would be denied were in the hands of so-called
security agencies. He added, “I say ‘so-called’ because, in reality, they were
agencies of ‘insecurity’, creating instability for the people.”
