Propaganda and Politics: The Anti-State Conspirators Active Again?

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Bangladesh has been facing challenges from various anti-state and anti-government forces for some years now. These forces often resort to propaganda, violence, and sabotage to destabilise the current government and create unrest in the country. The government of Bangladesh Awami League has been taking measures to address these challenges and maintain law and order in the country. However, some individuals and organisations are actively as well as massively spreading propaganda against the government, which is contributing to the somewhat worsening situation. Tasneem Khalil and David Bergman are two such individuals who have been accused of spreading propaganda against the state.

Deep-rooted anti-state plot

The anti-state conspiracy in Bangladesh has deep roots, with the opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) being the main driving force behind it. In 2013, the BNP boycotted the national election, which resulted in the Awami League winning with a landslide victory. Since then, the BNP reportedly has been lobbying against the country in various foreign countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. They have been seeking support from foreign governments and international organisations to destabilise the current government, fulfil their political agenda and create unrest in the country. Moreover, Jamaat-e-Islami, a political party in Bangladesh accused of war-crimes, is also actively involved in anti-state propaganda along with the BNP. They have been using social media platforms to spread false and misleading information about the government and create a negative image of the country in the international community. They have also been accused of supporting and financing anti-state forces to create unrest in the country.

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The propaganda against the state has had serious consequences for the country. In 2014, the US government suspended the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) trade privileges for Bangladesh, citing concerns over labour rights and safety standards. The propaganda has also affected the country’s image in the international arena and hindered its economic growth.

The BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman who is currently staying abroad, according to reports, has been actively meeting with foreign lobbyists and policymakers appointed by the BNP. BNP leaders are also seen having closed-door meetings with foreign diplomats often, which has raised concerns among many. In 2021, the BNP held a meeting with the then US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Earl Miller, where they discussed various issues, including the political situation in the country. The BNP’s engagement with foreign lobbyists and diplomats has been a source of concern for many, with some questioning whether the party is becoming a foreign-lobby oriented party.

Recently, the BNP held a meeting with the delegation of European Union members from eight countries, where they discussed various political and social issues. Such meetings are seen as an attempt by the BNP to gain foreign support against the government. The BNP’s alleged foreign lobbying has created tension between the government of Bangladesh and the BNP, with the government accusing the party of trying to destabilise the country. The BNP has also appointed eight lobbying firms in the United States, which has been viewed as an attempt to undermine the country’s democratic process and stability. The Prime Minister has accused the BNP of complaining to their foreign and domestic allies against the government of the Awami League, adding that the BNP leaders are making these complaints despite the fact that the Awami League has not done anything wrong to them.

Anti-state conspirators active once again!

Recently, a documentary was released by Deutsche Welle (DW) alleging false accusations against the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite force of Bangladesh Police that has been playing a crucial role in combating terrorism, drugs, crimes and militancy. The documentary was based on blatant lies from several individuals, including Tasneem Khalil, who runs a website named ‘Netra News’ from Sweden. This website is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which claims to be “steadfastly bipartisan” and operating “with a high degree of transparency and accountability.”

However, the fact is that this organisation is providing thousands of dollars every month to Netra News, which is run by a group of dubious individuals who are affiliated with Islamist and militancy groups. In response to the documentary, RAB issued a statement saying that the information presented was false. Director of RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Commander Khandaker Al Moin stated that the statement of the two RAB members in the report is completely false. He added that RAB did not do anything that was claimed in the fabricated statement.

US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, during his visit to Bangladesh, had praised RAB for its progress in carrying out its function while respecting human rights. However, conspirators, particularly BNP-Jamaat cronies, have been frantically trying to mislead the international community about the Awami League government and various law enforcement agencies by spreading concocted propaganda.

As Bangladesh is heading towards the next general election, which is expected to be held in several months, these conspirators are trying to create unrest in the country to destabilize it ahead of the polls. The anti-liberation and communal forces along with Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami are actively working to destroy the democratic process. The pro-liberation forces must work for the betterment of the country and thwart anti-state conspiracies untidily.

Conspirators Behind

There are indications that various vested interest groups, particularly agents of militancy and opposition parties, are behind the orchestrated propaganda against Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). For example, members of Netra News, including Tasneem Khalil, have been accused of spreading false and misleading information about the government and promoting the agenda of the BNP.

In addition, David Bergman, a British journalist, has been accused of selectively highlighting certain issues to create a negative image of the government. These individuals have close ties with organisations that are accused of being influenced by the BNP and have been accused of being biased and spreading propaganda against the government. It is believed that these conspirators are trying to destabilise the government and create unrest in the country as Bangladesh approaches its next general election.

It’s worth noting that the NED, which funds the Netra News website, has also come under scrutiny for its alleged involvement in promoting democracy and human rights in countries that are strategically important to the US. Critics have accused the NED of using its funds to promote US foreign policy objectives and undermine governments that are not aligned with US interests. Some have pointed out that the NED has been known to support organisations and individuals that have been linked to extremist groups and movements. This has raised questions about the organisation’s transparency and accountability, and whether it is truly bipartisan and independent as it claims to be.

The role of International Media

This is not the first time when an international media has collaborated with the anti-state conspirators have bashed. From the latest DW’s anti- government news questioning RAB to Al Jazeera’s “All the Prime Minister’s Men” had sparked controversy and attained both global and national attention. Just a few days ago, when a journalist was detained for fabricating and creating a fake sympathetic story on the day of independence and abusing a child, some international organizations including renowned international media questioned the country’s law and justice thinking it was “violence against and intimidation of journalists.

The issue of foreign forces and international media being involved with Bangladesh extensively is not a new problem as it is a deep-rooted concern for a long time. The question remains, why are the negative stories published always in some handful of global media? What about the positive aspects that are often ignored and how legit it is from a journalistic viewpoint? And another main question is, who has injected such negativity about the government and state?

The Anti-government bias in certain international media

Most of the international media has been fair and transparent about the progress of Bangladesh mentioning both positive and challenging sides. However, few of them are seen being involved in anti-state propaganda.  Not just DW’s recent documentary, but also Al Jazeera has been seen violating their journalistic practice to defame Bangladesh.

The Qatar-based international news media, Al Jazeera dropped an investigative documentary about Bangladesh in 2021 which raised allegations of corruption around powerful people, the government of Bangladesh issued a strong protest against the negative propaganda

Many questions were raised about the data authenticity of the report without proper proof. The report was allegedly unclear and contained much wrong information, which was later announced as fake and insulting by the government.

A statement sent by the Directorate of Inter-Services Public Relations of the Ministry of Defense strongly condemned this report. The statement said: “It is not clear how international news channels like Al Jazeera were associated with those with prior criminal records. The video was created using technology using clips from various official, social, and private events. Several isolated events Scenes are combined and edited and voiced.” The source of the Al Jazeera report’s allegations is a suspected international criminal, whom Al Jazeera itself has described as a ‘psychopath’, the statement said.

Questions the journalistic approach

The current events of misinformation highlights two significant aspects of the journalistic approach to media coverage.

• Verification of sources: Journalism requires the verification of sources to verify the legitimacy and dependability of the information published. Before publishing any news report, it is essential that media confirm the veracity of their sources to avoid distributing incorrect or misleading information.

In case of anti- government propaganda, these global media have failed to fully verify their sources, resulting in the dissemination of fake news and misinformation. This has led to a lack of credibility in the media and has had a negative impact on the nation and foreign partners.

Before publishing a piece, it is crucial for journalists to perform exhaustive research and fact-checking, which these forces have lacked severely.

• Bias in quantity of negative news: Another key facet of journalistic integrity is ensuring that news reporting is balanced and impartial, especially with regard to the proportion of negative news. When a media frequently reports unfavourable news without providing a balanced perspective or context, a skewed and distorted image of the nation appears. Our country has excelled and prospered in every sector and currently on the verge of graduating from LDC. Yet, these forces have mostly published anti- state news by overlooking the positive aspects.

They have failed to maintain a balanced approach of reporting both positive and negative events, which calls into question their journalistic ethics and dedication to provide accurate and trustworthy news.

Geopolitics at play?

Bangladesh’s significance in geopolitics is important to all major global and regional powers. Since its independence has always kept a foreign policy of friendship and non-alignment with its ‘Friendship to all, malice to none’ motto. Bangladesh has kept good relations with all global superpowers in USA, China and Russia.

Bangladesh was always seen as a least development country that depended on foreign donations and loans from the international community for its development. The dependency on foreign finance kept Bangladesh’s politics under heavy influence of international power players. In last decade Bangladesh has come out as an economic miracle in global stage overturning its past image. The success story can be attributed to the country’s long-term plan and big infrastructure projects with its own resources and of course with the help of its international partners.  With its own economic success everyday Bangladesh is able to make decisions that is more aligned to its own national interest and policy.

Also, in last decade we have seen the monopoly dominance of western hegemony losing out territories to Chinese and Russian influence. Other major countries around the globe have also started looking after their own national interest then shared goals of the western order. Bangladesh has never aligned itself to any block or hegemony in its history but it has taken China and Russia as major development partners. Bangladesh has taken a neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The western bloc might have a misconception that Bangladesh is taking a pro-Chinese or pro-Russian posture. This misconception was evident on a recent interview of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by CNN and Al Jazeera. In both interviews, Sheikh Hasina was asked about Bangladesh’s close relations with China.

The western powers have a historical trail of regime changes or attempt of regime changes, when it clashes with their interest or they perceive that a country is not in control of their sphere. The first step of these regime changes was spread of misinformation through international media. Unfortunately, we are seeing that pattern with Bangladesh at present, whether it is a fact or coincidental. The western powers have again and again backed fringe and extreme elements of a country’s political spectrum and that have backfired in the historical existence every time.

A dangerous game in present context

Bangladesh’s present trend of economic growth aside is a fact. But it is also going through hardships affected by trends of global economic slowdown, inflation, energy price surge and balancing of its reserve. During these volatile times engagement of anti-state conspirators possess a significant level of threat to the national security. The influence of international media only heightens that risk by momentous margin.

Bangladesh is also in an election year which by nature is a vulnerable time period in context of the national security and stability. There is a massive gap of opinion between the two major political parties which should be settled in the most sacred traditions of democracy, voting. Disrupting the democratic process and institutions with propagation and spread of misinformation must be avoided. Even the Western hegemony suffered from same tactics in their own backyards.

If some of Bangladesh’s international partners are finding wisdom in partnering with fringe anti-state conspirators, they are in reality playing with fire. That fire might end up blazing not only the stability of Bangladesh but the entire region.

Expert Opinion

The impact of such unexpected social media usage, which is a form of cybercrime in my opinion, is huge. Fake news about commercial banks created panic and confused innocent people. Many withdrew their money and encashed bonds, fixed deposits etc. NRBs were discouraged to remit money in legal banking channels.  By now all such propagandas were proved to be false. But innocent people who encashed their hard-earned long-term deposit had to bear the loss. This is one example only and there are many impacts like this.

We can see many international media houses like DW or Al Jazeera collaborating with this anti-state forces. How do you see this?

There is no reason to consider all international media to be neutral or trustworthy. The foreign media concerned about Bangladesh doesn’t treat all countries equally. Their editorial policy serves national, regional, geopolitical and purely political interests many times. In recent research I found, one of our thinktanks predicted and published a forecast which showed immediate and severe financial crisis in Bangladesh about 3 months back. More than 50 international news sources quoted this news with reference to a single English daily of Bangladesh. Our government officials and agencies concerned must be vigilant to monitor and counter such tailored news and news agencies, whether local or international.

Bangladesh is facing some economically vulnerable situation with price hike of commodities and energy, taka’s loss of value against US dollar etc. How do you see the activities of anti-state groups from security perspective?

Anti-state groups always look for opportunities to create panic and public unrest. They grab the news of any financial crisis on priority basis and multiply its likely impacts through mainstream and social media. Such news disrupts the flow of local and foreign investment. Business also gets detracted. As a result, employment, money cycling, GDP growth etc face challenges. All such negative factors ultimately destabilize national security.

Is human rights violation a real problem amongst Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies? How should the agencies address this issue?

Yes, there is no denying fact that at times human rights were violated in dealing with few cases. But in most of those cases, it was overdoing by individual concerns. Government always takes lawful measures against each and every isolated incident. It is to be noted that, as a policy the government shows respect to human rights. But a strong lobby by anti-state elements at various levels undermines such initiatives. Agencies need to hunt for such anti-state elements. At the same time, smart media and counter lobby policy must be catered for.