UNB, Dhaka:
Though the present government has made a revolution in terms of its journey towards Digital Bangladesh with increased internet and cell-phone penetration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is yet to utilize the advantage causing delay in information dissemination.
The Foreign Ministry does not have any official twitter and Facebook page, two vibrant tools for connecting with the rest of the world at this digital age.
Unlike Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, the External Affairs Ministry, India is very vibrant with its active presence on both these platforms. Even Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry maintains an official tweeter account for its Spokesperson’s office.
The External Publicity Wing of the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry does not have any official tweeter and Facebook page. However, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam maintains Facebook and twitter accounts through which he disseminates everyday happenings.
The visits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have proved again how the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry is lagging behind in terms of connecting with the world swiftly by using social media platforms.
Modi and Mamata continued to tweet in twitter and posting status on Facebook since the very beginning of their visits. Bangladeshi media
frequently quoted tweets of Modi and Mamata while there were no tweets from the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry External Publicity Wing.
Recognizing the importance of the visit, the Indian side arranged a press briefing in the city on Saturday after a summit meeting between Bangladesh and India.
Indian Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar briefed media while there was no briefing from the Bangladesh side yet.
However, the External Publicity Wing of the Foreign Ministry sent an email at 11:46pm Saturday attaching documents related to programmes of the day.
Contacted to know the reason why MoFA does not have its presence on social platform, Director General (DG-EP) S Bodiruzzaman said he was not in a position to talk about it for his urgent engagement with senior officials and requested to talk with an alternative official.
Talking to UNB another official preferring anonymity said there is no Facebook or twitter account but did not explain why. More interestingly, PID sent a media note describing it ‘unofficial news’ said the Indian Foreign Secretary will brief the media at Sonargaon Hotel at 5pm Sunday. Yet there is no brief from the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry.
The Indian Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, MEA Spokesperson and other key persons use social platforms to stay connected with home and abroad.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known as one of the most tweeting politicians in the world with 12.8 million followers, as of June 7, 2015. US President Barack Obama has 60.1 million followers on his twitter account.
Though the present government has made a revolution in terms of its journey towards Digital Bangladesh with increased internet and cell-phone penetration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is yet to utilize the advantage causing delay in information dissemination.
The Foreign Ministry does not have any official twitter and Facebook page, two vibrant tools for connecting with the rest of the world at this digital age.
Unlike Bangladesh Foreign Ministry, the External Affairs Ministry, India is very vibrant with its active presence on both these platforms. Even Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry maintains an official tweeter account for its Spokesperson’s office.
The External Publicity Wing of the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry does not have any official tweeter and Facebook page. However, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam maintains Facebook and twitter accounts through which he disseminates everyday happenings.
The visits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have proved again how the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry is lagging behind in terms of connecting with the world swiftly by using social media platforms.
Modi and Mamata continued to tweet in twitter and posting status on Facebook since the very beginning of their visits. Bangladeshi media
frequently quoted tweets of Modi and Mamata while there were no tweets from the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry External Publicity Wing.
Recognizing the importance of the visit, the Indian side arranged a press briefing in the city on Saturday after a summit meeting between Bangladesh and India.
Indian Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar briefed media while there was no briefing from the Bangladesh side yet.
However, the External Publicity Wing of the Foreign Ministry sent an email at 11:46pm Saturday attaching documents related to programmes of the day.
Contacted to know the reason why MoFA does not have its presence on social platform, Director General (DG-EP) S Bodiruzzaman said he was not in a position to talk about it for his urgent engagement with senior officials and requested to talk with an alternative official.
Talking to UNB another official preferring anonymity said there is no Facebook or twitter account but did not explain why. More interestingly, PID sent a media note describing it ‘unofficial news’ said the Indian Foreign Secretary will brief the media at Sonargaon Hotel at 5pm Sunday. Yet there is no brief from the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry.
The Indian Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, MEA Spokesperson and other key persons use social platforms to stay connected with home and abroad.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known as one of the most tweeting politicians in the world with 12.8 million followers, as of June 7, 2015. US President Barack Obama has 60.1 million followers on his twitter account.
