bdnews24.com
An apparently frustrated Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Sunday criticised the domestic media for their way of covering economic news and expressed willingness to ‘teach journalists’ on how to report on the economy.
He criticised the local media for giving greater importance to news published by the foreign agencies on Bangladesh’s economic development while turning a blind eye to whatever the government said.
“Our characters are such. When Economist, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian say such [things on development] we get elated. And when we (the government) speak [of development], they (the media) say, ‘it is not right, it is bad’,” Muhith said.
He made the comments when his attention was drawn to the recent report by the UK-based newspaper ‘The Guardian’, that Bangladesh’s economy would surpass that of the West by 2050.
The minister came down hard on a particular research organisation for its statements on the overall financial situation in Bangladesh and the role of the government.
Without naming, the minister said, “There is an organisation… a think tank whose findings are despicable. I doubt whether they have any scholars among them.”
He said now the local newspapers praise those houses. “They say, ‘the government won’t make any growth’…”
Muhith said the statements by the organisations are all but negative.
When asked how 2012 was for him, Muhith said it was a good one for Bangladesh’s economy, “No disasters this year… few more days to go…”
The Minister, however, said the year also included loss of some prominent personalities like Khan Sarwar Murshid and Kabir Chowdhury.
