Telegram League: Blessing or the greatest liability?

Opinion

When the weather is at its most adverse, the sailor and his team in charge of navigating a ship at sea need to be at their calmest, sharpest and most patient. When the rough seas shake the boat violently, the anxiety, chaos and mounting uncertainty have to be dealt with skillfully, fearlessly and with a clear goal and focus. Bangladesh Awami League, the largest political party in Bangladesh, is going through one of the most challenging times in history after the brutal assassination of the Father of the Nation and most of his family members in 1975.

With some key party decision-makers working from unknown safe places, while others are illegally imprisoned by the unconstitutional interim government of Bangladesh, facing threats to basic security, safety and lives, the platform that has become the biggest liability for the party, rather than a blessing, is Telegram.

Telegram, a social media platform used to securely send information from one person to another, is not a convenient tool but is endangering the security of political activists and leaders, and some unscrupulous individuals are misusing it for personal immoral gain. Instead of being a tool for organizing, planning, and implementing, it has become a means of leisure chat for some political activists, which is also increasing divisions within the party.

In the month of Bloody July, when international and national conspirators overthrew the democratically elected government, a startling reality emerged. Many within the party were shocked to learn that some of the student leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League were actually members of the secret organization Islami Chhatra Shibir. If the enemies of this country can infiltrate the Chhatra League even in a peaceful environment, what can happen during the party’s most difficult time?

Numerous groups have been created on the Telegram platform, which many are mockingly calling the “Telegram League,” where activists and political leaders from all over the country are joining. While it sounds promising, the issue needs to be assessed from the perspective of the safety and security of readers before giving the green light. These enemies of the state, the Chhatra Shibir activists, are not sitting idly by. They are trying to infiltrate the Awami League with full force, so that on the one hand the interim government can suppress Awami League activists using the so-called “law” and on the other hand these spies can gather information about the Awami League’s plans.

Recently, some internal conversations of Awami League workers were leaked from Telegram groups and spread on social media and national media. Then, anti-state, anti-Awami League and anti-Bangladesh alliances came together and widely disseminated these conversations and tried to tarnish the reputation of Awami League. The security forces of this illegal interim government and the student wing in disguise easily enter these groups, where it is almost impossible for the group admins to identify each member with very limited resources. As a result, the identity, location and personal information of those Awami League workers who are going through the most difficult time of their lives and are being subjected to repression by the law enforcement agencies are being leaked.

Meanwhile, there have been allegations that some individuals are using these groups for personal, immoral purposes. Some of the people running the groups are sacrificing the basic integrity required for politics. They are giving false information to less experienced workers, promising to put them in touch with Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, and collecting money from them — which is not only unethical, but also completely against the policies of Bangladesh’s largest party. They do not carry the values of Bangabandhu and do not represent the Bangladesh Awami League in any way.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina is the leader of 180 million Bangladeshis, not just a few. Therefore, workers must use discretion and refrain from falling into the trap of unscrupulous people.

Considering these, in a social media post, the Bangladesh Awami League advised all its workers to leave Telegram groups and join only the official Awami League channel. However, the decision was reversed within 24 hours with the intervention of a specific person from the central command. What is most important now is the unity of the party, strong coordination and effective planning. Only through the official Awami League channel can it be possible to ensure security, maintain confidentiality and ensure accountability. Thousands of different groups, different people, thousands of different directions – it is not impossible for the party to bear the responsibility of all these things, but it is extremely challenging.

This change of decision will further increase the differences between the field workers and the central command. The central command must understand that they have some responsibility for the welfare of the field workers because it is the time, dedication and sacrifice of the field workers that has made the Awami League a strong political party. And these Telegram groups are now the biggest obstacle in ensuring their safety and security.

Anwar Sadat Jihan