On Monday 29 January 2018, Bangladesh government approved the much talked-about draft of the ‘Digital Security Act-2018’. The government claimed that the Digital Security Law was formulated to combat growing cybercrimes affecting many public and private organizations including the central bank. The proposed law was formulated as the existing one on ICT missed many aspects of cybercrimes. [Dhaka Tribune]

Comment:

The new act would, inter alia, criminalize certain anti regime cyber activities and that include both bail-able and non-bail-able offenses. Journalists, politicians and human rights activists are all critical about this new digital security act, since there are a number of controversial provisions in the proposed law. Some of the crimes are defined so vaguely and widely under the act that many sections are prone to misuse.  The proposed act states that if any person or group deliberately publishes or transmits on a website or in any other electronic form any material which creates enmity and hatred among different sections or communities or hurts communal harmony, or creates instability or anarchy or the possibility of deterioration in law and order, the activity will be regarded as a crime.

The proposed act will indeed be a ‘draconian law’ to suppress oppositions and anyone raise voice against the regime, while civil rights activists contend that the freedom of press and expression will be curbed, the door for discussion on some specific topics will be shut down and free voice will be muzzled. A number of questions are striking in the mind of the general people… why do we need such a punitive law? Is it just to protect the widespread corruption that has penetrated all the sectors of the country? Or is it due to any imminent Islamic revolution that the current regime is fearful of? Or is it that the current secular democratic system is losing its ground and people have no confidence on it such that a Nazi style harsh law is needed to impose its value in the society? The debate is on. And it is very clear that democratic system is tumbling down in Bangladesh and the situation is so critical that ‘undemocratic’ measures are being deployed to protect the democratic system.  Secular democrats are compromising their values to contain and combat Islam.

Under secular system, human beings legislate according to their whims and desire and to protect their own vested interest. And like all the cases of the failed secular governments across the Muslim world, Hasina’s regime has also come up with this fear mongering tactic in the name of digital security act just to secure its throne by silencing people’s voice anyhow.

Mohammad Kamal

Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Bangladesh