Staff Reporter :
Former editor of The Bangladesh Observer and also a Language Movement hero Abdus Salam was courageous and pioneer in the field of journalism in Bangladesh. He stood with the Bangladeshi people by his writings against the Pakistani ruler’s discrimination.
The new generation should have followed his ideal of ethics, objectivity and sense of responsibility for people. It should have realized that how Abdus
Salam, Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia and Zahur Hossain Chowdhury became ‘Editorial Institution’. The ‘Editorial Institution’ and journalism will regain its lost glory, hoped a group of senior journalists at a webinar for celebrated veteran journalist Abdus Salam’s 111th birth anniversary.
The webinar was organised by Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) with its President M. Abdullah in the chair while Secretary General Nurul Amin Rokon moderated it.
Riaz Uddin Ahmed, a senior member of the Editors Council, a former BFUJ president and a colleague of Abdus Salam attended the meeting as the chief guest. Other participants were former president of BFUJ and the National Press Club, and Editor of Economic Times Shawkat Mahmud, former Director General of Bangladesh Press Institute (PIB) and Head of News of Banglavision Dr. Abdul Hai Siddique, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Editor in charge The New Nation, Ilias Khan, general secretary of the National Press Club, granddaughter of Abdus Salam, professor of zoology at University of Dhaka Dr Sharmin Musa, BFUJ vice-president Rashidul Islam and Abdus Salam Smriti Parishad general secretary Lotan Ekram.
Also present at the discussion were BFUJ office secretary Tofail Hossain, publicity secretary Mahmud Hasan, journalist union Cox’s Bazar president Mamtaz Uddin Bahari, among other journalist leaders.
Riaz Uddin Ahmed said Abdus Salam faced arrest and termination from job for not compromising with ethics.
He said that during the time of Abdus Salam, journalists could write about truth but now they can’t. This is the real truth. There is no journalism.
He called upon the new generation to be inspired by the ideals of Abdus Salam, adding that journalism would be hampered and the truth would not be allowed to be revealed. We have to go through this. This is what Abdus Salam has taught.
Mostafa Kamal Majumder said that under the editorship of the brave editor Abdus Salam, Bangladesh Observer had become a strong voice in favour of the autonomy of the then East Pakistan. Abdus Salam produced many talented journalists who later took journalism of Bangladesh forward.
