Political leaders cannot hold positions in the Press Club: Sarjis Alam's comment

Sarjis Alam, the chief organizer of the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) in the northern region, has strongly commented that a person holding a position in a political party cannot hold any leadership position in the Press Club. He made the matter clear in a post on his verified Facebook page on Saturday (November 15).

Sarjis Alam said in his post that a current office-bearer of any political party cannot hold any position in the Press Club, starting from the president, general secretary and the executive committee. According to him, this needs to be mandatory in the interest of protecting the sanctity and impartiality of journalism. He further said that the committees of all the central and district level press clubs should also be formed on the same principle.

The NCP chief organizer warned that if political leaders hold the leadership of the Press Club, then an example of party influence, biased behavior and misinformation will be created in the name of journalism. Which will undermine the dignity and independence of real professional journalists.

He also wrote that those who are comfortable introducing themselves as office bearers of a particular political party before identifying themselves as journalists can never represent real journalists. He alleged that such people corrupt the ideals and professional ethics of journalism.

Sarjis Alam's statement has created a discussion on social media. Many have expressed solidarity with the demand to ensure the professional integrity and impartiality of the journalistic community. On the other hand, some are also criticizing it as a politically motivated comment.

Overall, his comment has created an opportunity to think anew about the relationship between journalism and politics.