Staff Reporter :
Controversy has been raised over the newly formed managing committee of National Press Club [for 2015-16] making Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman as president and Kamrul Islam Chowdhury as general secretary.
A hurriedly called biennial annual general meeting announced the committee on Thursday.
The general meeting decided to install portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Majibur Rahman at the club premises. Besides, it also decided to amend the club’s article of association to increase the number of members to 1,500 from existing 1,000.
Although both the decisions are good enough and also much awaiting for the journalists, the fact is that the committee of NPC has been formed without holding any election, but by selection.
Questions have been raised why there is an unelected committee? And why general members are deprived of exercising their voting right?
It is learnt that the crisis aroused when no new committee was formed after completion of the tenure of elected managing committee in March. The elected committee tried to hold election for at least three times, but failed.
Later, BNP-Jamaat and Awami League- Leftists decided to form a committee on the basis of mutual understanding. But the situation took a dramatic change when the members of the election commission resigned.
In this backdrop, a group of senior journalists yesterday formed the new managing committee. However, the immediate past President Kamal Uddin Sabuj and General Secretary Syed Abdal Ahmad were not present there.
Terming the new managing committee “illegal and unconstitutional”, former president of NPC and editor of News Today Riaz Uddin Ahmed yesterday said: “It is very unfortunate for Jatiya Press Club, which is a symbol of pride for nation.”
“Few people gathered there in the name of annual general meeting and formed the unconstitutional committee…It is very disgraceful. I think, it is an attempt to grab the Press Club,” he also said expressing annoyance.
Former president of NPC and advisor to BNP Chairperson, Sahukat Mahmood said: “It’s undemocratic…..It’s a shame. I have no word to express my condemnation. The pro-government journalists have grabbed the club using their muscle power. The general members of the club will resist it.”
On the other hand, terming the expired managing committee illegal journalist leader Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury while addressing the general meeting said, “The managing committee has no legality to maintain the club after March 31.
“We will never accept any autocracy in the country, so we won’t tolerate any dictatorship in the National Press Club,” he added.
Journalist leader Amanullah Kabir mentioning no one’s name said, “One person is solely responsible for the present crisis, so we want to resolve it through a panel of understanding.”
Meanwhile, Kamal Uddin Sabuj and Syed Abdal Ahmad in a statement issued yesterday termed the newly formed committee ‘illegal’.
“As per constitution, the expired committee hands over responsibility to new committee through election. So, the general members will not accept if there is any violation of constitution,” the statement said.
