Md. Nahid Islam
is an Adviser to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information
Technology, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Bangladesh’s
interim government. A graduate of the Department of Sociology at the University
of Dhaka, he was a key coordinator in the anti-discrimination student movement
and played a significant role in the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Recently, he talked to Bonik Barta on some relevant issues.
Interviewed by Sabidin Ibrahim.
It
has been a month since the interim government took office. How far has the list
of those killed and injured in the protests progressed? Why has there been a
delay in compiling the list?
A
committee formed by the Ministry of Health is working on it. The list is almost
complete. Currently, we are in the process of contacting the families of
approximately 800 martyrs. A memorial service was planned but is temporarily on
hold. Once the list is finalized, all the families will be brought together for
a commemorative event. Support for the injured will be determined based on
their circumstances, and a foundation has already been announced. Starting this
week, direct financial assistance will be provided to the injured through the
foundation.
What
challenges are you facing in fulfilling the responsibilities of the interim
government?
It
is difficult to resolve 16 years of anarchy in a short time. We are essentially
rebuilding everything from scratch. The police administration is not yet fully
operational, and their morale has not fully recovered. As a result, law and
order have been somewhat disrupted. However, the public is supporting us and taking
initiatives on their own. They are helping us in various locations. Once the
police administration becomes active, the pace of our work will increase.
With
an average age of 26, around 85 million of our population is young people. How
can the ICT Ministry play a role in creating employment opportunities for this
large youth population?
There
are significant opportunities for employment in the ICT sector. Several
initiatives have already been undertaken, and new ones are being considered. We
are focusing on creating opportunities for freelancers, providing training in
the ICT sector, showcasing young entrepreneurs on the international stage,
offering logistical support for online work, and encouraging youth
participation.
Freelancers
have long demanded the introduction of PayPal and other online transaction
services. What steps are being taken in this regard?
We
must also consider whether such services could lead to money laundering. By
formulating proper regulations and bringing these services under the law, they
could be introduced. We are thinking about these matters. In addition, the ICT
and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications have announced a 100-day
action plan. Various reform proposals have been made. Over the past month, we
have mainly been reviewing past projects. Corrupt projects are being identified
and suspended. We are restructuring the administration by making changes to
personnel, and in the coming days, we plan to bring some structural changes and
policy amendments to certain laws.
What
is the status of our server capacity? In most cases, we rely on Singapore or
other countries. How can we strengthen our server capacity?
Yes,
we do rely on other countries for server and internet supply, but we have some
capacity of our own that can be further enhanced. For various reasons, this
capacity was not utilized before. We were made dependent on foreign sources. We
are now planning to reduce this dependence and explore the technical aspects of
how we can increase our own capacity.
Various
competitions, including programming contests, help enhance the skills of young
people. What initiatives are you taking for youth and school-college students?
We
have already spoken with ambassadors from several countries who are interested
in working on this. We want to provide ICT-related training to school, college,
and university students. Additionally, we are planning to engage those already
in different fields based on their skills. Furthermore, we are planning to
offer free or affordable internet services in various educational institutions.
Initially, the plan is to bring 10-15 institutions under this initiative, with
the long-term goal of extending it to all institutions nationwide.
Due
to the high call and internet rates in the telecommunications sector, customers
have expressed dissatisfaction. What are your plans to bring these costs to a
reasonable level?
We
have already taken several initiatives in this regard. Discussions are ongoing
with stakeholders and companies. We are working to bring call rates, internet
prices, and mobile data validity to a reasonable level. We are considering the
concerns of both consumers and companies to ensure that the latter do not face
losses. Our goal is to responsibly lower these prices and make them affordable
for the public.
The
previous government’s ‘Digital Security Act’ (DSA), later renamed the ‘Cyber
Security Act’ (CSA), is it still in effect? What steps will you take regarding
this law?
Our
ministry has recommended that the Ministry of Law reconsider the act. We have
also requested that those arrested under this law be released from their cases.
The Cyber Security Act needs to be abolished, as it is highly controversial and
frequently misused. This law will be discussed by the reform body we have
formed.
You
recently spoke about increasing journalists’ salaries. What are your thoughts
on press freedom, salary hikes, and the Wage Board?
We
have mentioned the need for a Media Commission. Just as reform commissions are
being established for other sectors, one will be formed for the media as well.
The Media Reform Commission will review everyone’s opinions on this matter, and
based on their proposals, we will make decisions.
The
previous government introduced visions like ‘Digital Bangladesh’ or ‘Smart
Bangladesh’ in the information technology sector, although they did not achieve
significant success. Does the interim government have any similar plans?
What
we are witnessing is that Digital Bangladesh has created digital inequality. It
has opened up opportunities for corruption. The general public has not received
the benefits proportional to the amount invested in this sector. These benefits
remained confined to a select few. Our goal will be to increase accessibility,
ensuring that digital services reach even the most marginalized areas and bring
everyone under the umbrella of internet access. We aim to make internet
services easily accessible to all, and that will be our focus moving forward.
This interview appeared in the
print and online edition of Bonik Barta
and has been translated for the English edition.