BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party faces a “ruin” whenever it comes to power, arguing that it repeatedly inherits a damaged situation. He made the remarks on Friday, August 7, at a seminar titled “The Role of Media in Sustainable Democracy,” organized by the Television Editors Council at Hotel Holiday Inn in the capital.

Fakhrul alleged that the previous government conducted no gas exploration and instead created an import-dependent system. He said the power sector had been damaged through quick-rental power plants and that banks had been exhausted, leaving the government with difficult challenges in repairing them.

Calling democracy a culture, Fakhrul said sustainable democracy cannot be established unless it is reflected in people’s thinking and conduct. He urged tolerance of differing views, criticism of the government alongside time for it to work, and stronger institutional foundations for media outlets. In the keynote paper, Independent Television Chief News Editor Mostafa Akmal said political pressure, enforcement of digital laws and surveillance had prevented media from operating independently over the past decade and a half.