TIB is concerned about controlling journalists’ access to Bangladesh Bank

Senior Correspondent

Dhaka: Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern over the imposition of restrictions on journalists’ access to the financial sector regulatory body and Bangladesh Bank, the last resort of public funds. Such a move has been cited as an obstacle in the way of the media’s professional responsibility to disclose information on the banking and financial sector in the public interest. At the same time, the organization called for its immediate withdrawal.

TIB informed this information in a press release sent to the media on Friday (April 26) afternoon.

According to the news published in the media, the media and journalists were facing obstacles for almost more than a month in accessing the Bangladesh Bank to collect information about the banking and financial sector. In this case, the governor’s help in solving the problem was hopeless but no positive result came.

The executive director of TIB referred to it as an unethical and arbitrary step in the way of ensuring the legal right of the people to know the information. Iftekharuzzaman asked, ‘What message does the top leadership of Bangladesh Bank want to send to everyone by deciding to stop the free flow of information when the banking sector is plagued by various crises including bad debt, financial fraud and fraud and lack of overall good governance? Or what Bangladesh Bank wants to achieve through this? However, 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? It is an attempt to protect the interests of those who are responsible for the crisis in this sector, including defaulters and fraud.’

In the past few years, most of the information about the financial sector scams of thousands of crores of rupees has been published in the public interest. Zaman said, ‘however, should we assume that Bangladesh Bank is working to ensure the continued protection of the criminal circles involved in the irregularities of this sector such as debt defaulters, fraud and money laundering and has taken such reprehensible steps to hide the fact that Bangladesh Bank’s policies and leadership have become hostages in the hands of the gang. .’

TIB believes that when the question of trust in the banking sector is swirling in the public mind, or when the central bank itself is visibly confused about bank consolidation in the name of protecting the interests of bank customers, then the siege of privacy can cause greater danger. TIB is expressing concern that it is clear that Bangladesh Bank is unwilling to consider the matter of giving back the opportunity of unhindered information gathering to journalists by avoiding the main issues through bureaucratic procedures in the name of training the media and journalists on the sensitivity of information in the banking sector when the media workers are helpless and seek the help of the governor to solve the problem.

Which is not only an expression of arbitrariness, but also a colonial mentality, the Executive Director of TIB says, ‘Instead of solving the problem, the governor is talking about introducing a pass-based system, offering training, whatever, it is the professional responsibility of media workers, especially investigative. Not only is the imposition of an insurmountable ban on the collection of information for the report, but as a result, any level of Bangladesh Bank official will want to refrain from giving interviews to journalists. It goes without saying that if the relevant journalist publishes the report after the meeting, the specific official will face harassment in the name of administrative accountability. That is, access to information will be practically blocked, people will be deprived of the right to know what is happening in the banking sector, why and who are benefiting from the loss of people’s money. Which in no way can be a sane act. The Bangladesh Bank authorities should remember that they are supposed to play the role of protecting the public interest, and not those who are responsible for the crisis in the banking sector.

Taking into consideration the overall situation, the Bangladesh Bank leadership will ensure unhindered access of journalists to the Central Bank by announcing the immediate withdrawal of the said ban, TIB hopes.

Sarabangla/UJ/AK