Govt to check misuse, abuse of DSA: Law Minister
The government has expressed readiness to check misuse and abuse of the Digital Security Act, said Law Minister Anisul Huq today.
He said the government' is engaging with the relevant UN Offices to understand best practices in this regard during an hour-long meeting with the diplomats, the first one this year, organised by the foreign ministry at the Foreign Service Academy.
The minister also expressed readiness to address any misuse or abuse of the Act.
He elaborated on the procedure of the formation of the newt Election Commission and the current dialogue of the president with different political parties.
The law minister also talked about ongoing initiatives towards labour sector reform.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Law Minister Anisul Huq, LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were present during the briefing.
Regarding holding free and free elections in the country, the foreign minister said, "We are pledge-bound to uphold our constitutional obligation," according to a statement.
"Last year was a year of recovery and hope," Momen said. With the twin celebrations of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the country's independence, the year had a special significance for Bangladesh, the foreign minister continued.
Reflecting on the achievements of the country in the areas of poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, infrastructure development, digitalization, etc, Momen also highlighted successful management of the onslaughts of the pandemic and different incentives and packages announced to address its negative impact.
He stated that despite the pandemic, Bangladesh managed a growth rate of 5.4 percent last year.
He briefly touched upon the ongoing local government elections. This is the first time the country elected a UP chairman from the third gender, the foreign minister mentioned.
"This indicates that the glass ceilings have started to crack," he added.
Momen reaffirmed governments' firm conviction for the development and protection of the rights of the people through their empowerment.
The LGRD minister briefed the diplomats about the different phases and results of the ongoing local government elections. He mentioned that a large number of independent candidates were elected during these elections.
The ministers clarified the issue of "uncontested elections" which takes place in other countries including in the developed parts of the world.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam spoke on the initiatives of the government to create an investor-friendly environment in the country.
Around 40 diplomats joined the briefing. It was followed by an interactive session in which questions on LDC graduation, business and investment, Rohingya repatriation, among other topics, were addressed.