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Cash, Not Crest!

Chief whip slams media for reports

He won't apologise for comments

Staff Correspondent
Instead of saying sorry, Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip ASM Feroz yesterday criticised the media for running the news items about his asking for money from those who want to give him gifts.
"With a smile, I made the comments jokingly. I actually didn't mean it. It would have been better had the media not run the stories. The media has undermined me," Feroz said at a press briefing at the Jatiya Sangsad Media Centre.
The briefing was organised in response to the reports based on his comments made at a reception at Bauphal in Patuakhali on Friday on his becoming the chief whip.
"I will receive no more crests. 1 want cash if anyone wants to give me a gift. Cash is what I want," he announced through a loudspeaker at the programme. "Don't you understand? Huge money is needed to contest election." Local cable operators aired the event. A video clip of these comments is also available on YouTube.
Feroz, who enjoys the status of a minister, at yesterday's briefing also said, "I will not apologise as I did not actually mean it." Rather, he said, the journalists who tried to "assassinate his character" should say sorry. "There were many words, before and after my speech, which the media did not carry properly." But he didn't say what those words were.
He also alleged the media exaggerated his statement.
Replying to a question, the Awami League leader said he would not go for any measures against the media. He sought divine blessings so that the media gets itself "corrected".
Identifying himself as a national-level leader, Feroz said some people in the Awami League in his constituency Bauphal and other areas might have hatched a conspiracy.
"Sometimes they contest elections against me and sometimes they help BNP and Jatiya Party going against me," he added.
Meanwhile, the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday termed the speech of Feroz a bad omen for good governance and democracy and asked him to withdraw his comments.
In a statement, the anti-graft watchdog urged the Speaker and lawmakers to examine whether such stance in favour of unbridled corruption suites the post of chief whip.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said such statements would encourage corrupts and the arguments the chief whip made in his defence was also unacceptable.
He called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the leader of the House, to make her position clear in this regard.
Also yesterday, the parliament secretariat in a press release said the statement of Feroz was not published "properly" and for this his image was "damaged seriously".
"For a man who has been elected repeatedly through people's votes, it was not possible to ask for money in a public meeting," said the release undersigned by Nurul Huda, a deputy director (public relations) of the parliament secretariat.
"The fact is the chief whip told thousands of people that the party would be benefited if they use the money for the organisation instead of buying crests and bouquets."