Information advisor says government welcomes criticism, shrugs off misinformation

Prime Minister’s Information Advisor Zahed Ur Rahman has said the government is willing to take criticism in its stride, calling its approach to freedom of expression “very liberal”.

Speaking at a discussion at the Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) on Sunday, he said a fact-finding organisation had recorded 464 major misinformation campaigns against the government in 180 days, including 157 targeting the premier.

“Among the attacks against ministers, state ministers and advisors, I am also quite high on the list,” he said.

“Since I happen to be the information advisor, nobody is really paying much attention. There is no need to pay heed to the government -- I like it,” Zahed said.

He said a democratic government should remain open to differing views, adding that suppressing expression would serve no purpose for a government seeking another democratic mandate.

Referring to the prime minister’s meeting with editors, he said she had acknowledged that confrontation with newspapers or the media would bring the government no benefit.

Zahed was speaking at an event marking the 116th birth anniversary of journalist Abdus Salam, PIB’s founding director general.

He said authoritarian governments restrict free expression, as reflected in Salam’s life, and argued that journalism can also become a form of activism, citing Nobel laureates as examples.