Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the new Digital Security Act is meant to combat the abuse of digital platforms in spreading radicalisation, terrorism and pornography that often leads to family problems.
Published : 03 Oct 2018, 04:36 PM
Hasina responded to an opening question from bdnews24.com’s Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi at a media briefing at Ganabhaban in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Khalidi cited communal slur against Bangladesh cricketer Liton Das as an example to illustrate how social media networks are abused.
“We have introduced the Digital Security Act to prevent such demeaning acts," Hasina said.
Hasina said radicalisation is spreading in Bangladesh. “I would say that those who are following the path to radicalism have a perverse mind and have no ideology.”
Journalists should play a proactive role in creating awareness in society to stem the spread of radicalisation, Hasina said.
The journalists who are not opting for false news or wrong information should not worry about the new law, she said.
“But those who have readied write-ups against us and are waiting to publish them in phases should be concerned.”
The prime minister also said the new Digital Security Act was modelled on the Code of Criminal Procedure, or CrPC. “It’s just that only the digital devices have been included in it.”
“LAND OF CONSPIRACIES”
A vested group is hatching conspiracies in a bid to oust the government from power, said Hasina.
“Bangladesh is a breeding ground for conspiracies and experienced a number of conspiracies in different areas.”
There are people who despise the fact that Bangladesh is prospering or people are living in better conditions, Hasina said.
“We have been in power for about 10 years. What crime have we committed that we should resign, or need to be ousted?”
Hasina mentioned her administration’s contribution to socioeconomic development in Bangladesh and efforts to uproot extremism.
“Even after all these developments, there are vested quarters who want this government to go and wait for those with no strength or quality to govern the country.”
“They have repeatedly tried to fulfil their dream which resulted in 19 coups after the father of the nation was assassinated," Hasina said.
There are people who benefit from the conspiracies and power grab, pushing the country into danger time and again, according to Hasina.
They do not have moral strength to go to the polls but are desperate to grab power, she said. “And they'll grab power through the martial law and military or emergency rule.”
Those who want to serve their own interest have always tried to do it in a crooked way, Hasina said recalling attempts of assassination on her.
“I have never paid attention to those attempts but went on to work for the people.”
The government will handle legally the issue in relation to former chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Hasina said.
“Law will take its own course. I won’t say more. Otherwise, you will say I speak too much,” the prime minister said to a journalist on being asked.
Earlier in the day, the Anti-Corruption Commission said it was investigating a case started by lawyer and former BNP government minister Nazmul Huda accusing Justice Sinha of demanding bribe from the lawyer when he was an Appellate Division judge.
Justice Sinha recently made headlines after publishing his book, “A Broken Dream: Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy”, where he accused the government of “exiling” him after he had resigned “in the face of intimidation and threats”.
He had faced criticism from the ruling Awami League over the verdict of the 16th amendment to the constitution and left the country on leave in October last year. Later, he submitted his resignation from abroad.
The government said he was sick, but before leaving Bangladesh on Oct 13, Justice Sinha said he was 'not sick, but embarrassed' at the criticism by the ruling Awami League.
He also said Hasina might have 'felt hurt' because 'a quarter misinterpreted the verdict to her'.
In his book, he said the prime minister and other members of her party and ministers “blasted me for going against the parliament”.
After his resignation, the Supreme Court said in a rare statement that Justice Sinha had been facing 11 specific charges, including corruption, money laundering, financial irregularities and moral blunder.
The ACC recently quizzed a former managing director of the Farmers Bank and five other officials of the bank as it is weighing whether to start an investigation against Justice Sinha over a Tk 40 million corruption allegation.
It is also investigating allegations against Justice Sinha’s brother Ananta Kumar Sinha that he had laundered money to purchase a three-storey house in the US.
Hasina, in a press conference in the US on Friday after attending the UN General Assembly, had said her government would take steps over the issue if something wrong was found.
She said in the US that she had information that journalists, lawyers and newspaper owners in Bangladesh helped with the publication of Sinha’s book.
But she declined to take names and instead asked the journalists to find them out.