A Bangladeshi incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) was talked of the country in Kuwaiti media as well as international media for his scam of criminal activities in Kuwait. Possibly it is one of the biggest scams in Kuwait where two of Kuwait’s National Assembly members have lost their impunity for interrogation in connection with this scandal. Some more Kuwaiti officials were also detained for being involved in the alleged crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, bribes, and Visa trading. But our foreign ministry was totally in the dark, more so, after the Kuwaiti media ran reports of this criminal activities, Bangladeshi ambassador in a letter to the foreign ministry in Dhaka gave an inane report of this corrupted MP.
The main task of the press sections in the missions of any country is not only to establish and maintain cordial relations with the members of media of the host countries, but also to keep vigilant eyes on the contents published or aired in the print, and electronic media. If news appears in an English newspaper in Bangladesh of the US, for example, Washington will be notified within less than an hour. Even contents of the Bangla papers would be translated into English and sent to the US either through email or via diplomatic ‘pouch’. In this regard, the most effective and diligent press sections are of the Chinese missions around the world.
Bangladesh spends millions of dollars per month towards the press sections worldwide. In this allocated budget, press sections get funds for socializing with the journalist communities of the host countries for building deeper relations. But for years, most of the key figures in the press sections are being politically appointed.
These ‘fortunate’ individuals, instead of serving the interest of Bangladesh, get busy using this posting for their personal interest. Most of them, especially those sent to the US, Canada, Britain, and the European Union nations make a frantic bid in getting their children in those countries for ‘ensuring better future’. In other words, they use this posting towards personal gains instead of serving the nation. Such unfortunate tendencies are prevalent even within the career diplomats from Bangladesh.
If we look into the statistics, almost 95 percent of the Bangladeshi diplomats and mission staffs leave their children in those countries for studies and return home. Meaning, they use this diplomatic job as an opportunity to ensuring foreign immigration for their children (even spouses in some cases).
Due to such self-centered mindset, the members of the press sections in the Bangladesh missions not only fail in making relations with the members of the media, and get positive contents published or aired in favor of Bangladesh; they also purposefully ignore adverse propaganda or unprolific contents published or aired against Bangladesh.
There are plenty of complaints against our missions abroad by the expatriates. Migrant workers do not get legal support from our embassies which they bound to provide them. Families are reporting of unnatural death of their loving deported corpse. Business communities decry for not functioning as opening new business corridors by the embassies.
Bangladesh’s government has taken necessary actions against questioned personnel of the Kuwait embassy, but this issue has tarnished the image of Bangladesh as well as the ruling party. The situation became complicated for both the countries when the press section in the Bangladeshi mission to Kuwait was reluctant to pick up the first-hand news from Kuwaiti media therefore authority was failed to perform its duties. On the other hand, some missions have contributed by their sincere reporting on ‘fake Covid-19 test certificate’ which paves the way for taking stern action against the perpetrators by the Bangladesh government.
So the job of the press section in the missions is very important. Their ignorance would ultimately invite catastrophic consequences for Bangladesh. Because, wherever a news content or even adverse propaganda keeps on speeding being unattended and ignored, in the course of time, it turns into reference, and even are accepted as the fact.
(M A Hossain, a political and defense analyst writes on diversified topics in Bangladeshi and foreign newspapers. E-mail:writemah71 @gmail.com)
