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Saga of Radio-TV autonomy

Authorities sitting on Commission's report

By Reaz Ahmad
It has been nearly five months now that the report suggesting full autonomy for the state-run electronic media was submitted to the government but. Instead of any real progress in its implementation, a new confusion has arisen over the issue.
Confusion over the 'authority of control' diminishes chances of any immediate changes in the day to day affairs of the two electronic media in the country. Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar. It appears that there is no likelihood of these two institutions becoming
autonomous entitles in near future.
"I wonder how a team of five or seven eminent persons would run these two institutions all alone, without any control of the ministry concerned." said Minister of State for Information Prof Abu Sayeed recently in an interview with The Daily " Star.
Recalling his recent visit to the BBC headquarters in London. Sayeed said. "Despite the fact that BBC enjoys autonomy, its funding comes from the Information ministry and there persists some sort of government control as well."
"Besides," said Sayeed, "there is confusion among BTV and Betar staff whether they would remain public servants anymore if these two institutions gain autonomous status." Asked what steps he. as the minister concerned, has taken to remove the confusion. Sayeed said. "I am having interactions with officials and employees of these media from time to time." Asked how long it would take, he said, "some more time."
However, talking to a number of people working in the electronic media over the last one week, this correspondent found no one who could say anything about any interactions that the minister referred to. When asked. BTV Director General Syed Salahuddin Zaki said. "The Issue of autonomy is being handled by the ministry concerned. We are not part of the process and there is no question of having any interaction." A BTV producer also expressed his ignorance about any initiative for interaction.
Mentionably, a 16-member Betar, TV Autonomy Commission that was constituted by the government in September '96 with a former bureaucrat. M Asafuddoula. as its head, submitted its report to the Prime Minister in August last recommending full autonomy for the state-run electronic media.
It had recommended that Betar and BTV should no longer be S'ulded by the Ministiy of In-ormatlon. Instead a 7-member National Broadcasting Commission' could be constituted by the President for running the affairs of Radio and TV for a five-year term, it had said.
Though nearly five months have passed, the Abu Sayeed told The Daily Star that officials in his ministry were yet to complete examination of the technical and legal aspects of the report of the Commission.
"There is no clear-cut guideline In the report how these me dia will operate under their proposed new administration", he said. When his attention was
drawn to the specific recommendations like "code of conduct" and 'newsvalue guideline' in the Commission's report, he said. "No. there are no specific policy guidelines. You will be amazed to know that they (the Commission) simply picked up wordings of Ershad time — Bangladeshi Nationalism' — in their report."
He. however, declined to make the Commission's report public saying. "The process of giving autonomy is very much on now." After repeated insistence by this correspondent the minister said. "I hope by the end of first quarter of next year, all scrutiny reports on every nitty-gritty of the Commission's report will be finalised and then we will share everything with the press. We will keep the people abreast of all developments so that people's views can also be incorporated."
He went on to add, “By March 1998, I hope, we will be in a position to inform the Prime Minister at least some new developments in this regard. If needed, the Standing Commit tee of Jatiya Sangsad will discuss the Issue and. may be. we have to pass bills in the parliament as well."
Portraying a sorry picture of BTV. Abu Sayeed said. Tt is also true, whatever terms of refer ence be set for the proposed NBC. this media will not be able to operate In a professional manner with autonomy only, without modern facllitiea "
He said, almost all the editing equipment and even the air-conditioning system in BTV were in dilapidated condition. "Both the very essential auto-queue' cameras in BTV news room were damaged and I. in my personal initiative, hurriedly managed to get one on an emergency basis. There was one lying idly at Bangabhaban since Ershad regime."
In this regard, he further said that a Taka 50-crore modernisation programme was going to be taken up soon with Japanese grant. Tender will be floated in Tokyo on January 12 and work will begin soon after."
Salahuddln Zaki said that studios in BTV were "In no shape." The Japanese grant will enable us to set up. among other things, to three new studios including one for news, he said.
Mentionably. people's aspi ration to see the electronic media operate free from government control has been frustrated many times in the past Successive governments, since independence, made commitments to give autonomy to the electronic media, but turned these into propaganda weapons for themselves and their respective parties
Back In 1991. during BNP era. a similar exercise of setting up an Autonomy Commission was done The Commission dki prepare a set of recommends tlons But. eventually nothing came out of that exercise