Govt has no intention to obstruct cultural progs: Info Minister

Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman on Tuesday  said the government has no intention of obstructing or disrupting cultural activities, while acknowledging that concerts and other cultural programmes may sometimes be cancelled over security concerns.

“The cancellation of a concert does not necessarily mean that the government did not cooperate. There may have been security concerns there among other issues. We can find out about the matter by talking to the relevant ministry,” he said responding to a question from journalists at Secretariat over local religious leaders obstructing the organisation of cultural programmes in Brahmanbaria and Kishoreganj.

The Information Minister said many concerts, including major events, are currently being held in Bangladesh and if there are security concerns at a particular venue, the matter has to be considered separately.
“There is no mindset on the part of our government to obstruct or disrupt any cultural activity. We do not share such a view,” he said.

The Information Minister said, “For the past 40-50 years, we have seen a group consistently engaging in such activities against various cultural programmes. Such incidents have occurred many times in Bangladesh. There is actually no reason to be worried about this.”

He said Bangladesh is a country where people know how to live together and stand by one another. “Regardless of religion or ethnicity, we have a cultural coexistence among us. Some people overreact to such issues. That can happen. However, InshaAllah, the law will take its own course, and action will be taken in accordance with the law.”

“I believe that if you stay with us and the people of the country stay with us, we will be able to move forward properly,” he said.

 Besides, Prime Minister’s Adviser for Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman said Bangladesh has made significant, even “dramatic”, progress in cultural activities and other areas under the current government compared with the situation following August 5.

“There are still incidents taking place. When a situation develops and certain groups become influential over a period of one and a half to two years, it is not possible to change everything overnight,” he said.�" UNB