Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ameer (Chief) of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, was arrested by police on Tuesday from National Press Club area while he was going to a seminar arranged by National Doctor’s Forum. Maulana Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Nayeb-e-Ameer (Vice-president) of the party, was arrested from his house at Shaheedbag and Ali Ahsan Moahmmad Mojaheed was picked up from Savar while he was on his way to Faridpur.

Central Executive Committee of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami vehemently condemns the arrests on false charge in a meeting of the committee headed by Nayeb-e-Ameer Maqbul Ahmad held in the party office. The committee calls for the immediate release of the leaders. On March 21, a false case was filed against four leaders based on a misinterpretation of a statement made in a discussion program arranged by Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir on March 17, 2010 at Al-Falah Auditorium. But the fact is that neither Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami nor Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed was present at the discussion program. Thus it is quite evident that the charge against them is totally baseless.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami holds that these repressive actions are the clear manifestation of the vindictive nature of the government. The failure of the government to rule the country in a proper manner has created tremendous discontent among the mass people. So the government has started persecuting the opposition parties to conceal its failure. But it is the testimony of the history that no government can keep its power resorting to oppression and persecution.

Protest rallies were called nationwide on June 30, 2010 demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the leaders.

Prof. Md. Tasneem Alam
Secretary, Central Publicity Department
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami

Petang semalam saya mengumumkan perlantikan Mitchell Kapor sebagai salah seorang penasihat Negeri Selangor. Mitch merupakan tokoh yang sangat fasih dengan dunia maklumat dan teknologi. Pada paginya, acara dialog disusun bersama tokoh industri. Temanya New Frontiers in Information Technology.

Acara kedua bermula sekitar jam 3 petang bertemakan “Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Lessons Learned from Silicon Valley.”

Manakala Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Flickr dan Youtube kini semakin popular, kita sewajarnya memahami filsafat yang mendasari wadah maklumat tersebut. Ianya berkisar keterkaitan atau perhubungan antara satu sama lain. Maklumat semakin pantas menembusi ruang-ruang yang 10 tahun dahulu dirasakan mustahil. Kini maklumat begitu mudah dicapai, disebarkan dan dinilai oleh khalayak.

Masyarakat industri maklumat dan teknologi pastinya arif dengan Sumber Terbuka(Open Source). Ciri ini mustahak agar maklumat tidak dihadapkan dengan krisis monopoli dan otoritarian sekaligus memastikannya sentiasa demokratik. Usaha mengekang maklumat merupakan upaya kuna dan hanya mengakibatkan sesuatu negara dan masyarakat ditimpa malang ketinggalan. Apa tidaknya, maklumat kini adalah enjin utama memacu ekonomi dan politik.

Namun demikian hari ini, tatkala anak-anak muda asyik menelaah rencana dari Technological Review dan Monocole serta senantiasa melayari Wikipedia untuk mengetahui perkembangan terkini, pentadbiran Dato’ Sri Najib masih jauh ketinggalan dan terikut rentak yang bertentangan. Hari ini tatkala kita meraikan “Open Source,” Kementerian Dalam Negeri mengambil keputusan menggantung permit Suara Keadilan.

Tindakan ini jelas membuktikan perubahan bukanlah agenda utama pimpinan Umno-Barisan Nasional. Apabila dihimpit tekanan, kuasa kuku besi akan digunakan demi memasung kebenaran. Bagaimanapun pastinya berita ini tidak mengejutkan. Ini merupakan regim lama yang mewarisi politik lama. Perubahan adalah mustahil kerana mereka tidak pernahpun mendakapnya.

ANWAR IBRAHIM