We congratulate The Independent on its re-launch

We felicitate The Independent on the occasion of its re-launch. In Bangladesh, as indeed in all other developing countries, newspapers are constantly fighting against odds, all for the purpose of keeping the people informed. Nothing gives us more pleasure than to see a renewal of intent on the part of a newspaper to serve people better.
The daily has been in publication for more than fifteen years, not a mean feat, particularly for an English daily in Bangladesh, given the size of English readership. If anything, it shows the resilience of those who had been associated with the newspaper in charting and steering its course all this time.
We wish them well in their new venture. We earnestly hope that this will generate a spirit of healthy competition in the industry.
We are sure that the paper would certainly live up to the commitment that its management and editor have made of giving the readers not only a better looking paper, but, in keeping with the changed circumstances of the country's struggle to change and progress, give a better content.
No one is perhaps more intensely aware of the role of the print media in a country like ours, than the people in the media, where there is not only the imperatives to inform the public but also to be objective and be aware of the fact that the readers are informed in manner that they are able to form opinion of their own and not shape their opinion by feeding them what the media wants the public to know.
We would like to emphasise the fact that there is no other option for the media than to set an example of fair, fearless and objective journalism, giving space to varied and different range of opinions and hold aloft the principle of freedom of expression in its true form and spirit.
We are also aware that both direct and indirect efforts are afoot to denigrate the role of free press. Politicians are often too eager to find fault with us instead of appreciating the role media has played in strengthening democracy, fighting corruption and standing up against abuse of power.
We hope re-launched Independent will be a reinvigorated voice for the above goals.