Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 29th August 2023 protesting and condemning the authority’s recent move as the cabinet finally approved the draft of the proposed Cyber Security Act-2023.
There is no basic difference between Digital Security Act-2018 and proposed Cyber Security Act-2023. Digital Security Act was enacted to oppress the people and also to confiscate people’s rights. The so-called cyber security act was also tabled with the same ill-intention.
Without any major amendment, cyber security act has been approved by the cabinet. Earlier, people of all walks including the politicians, lawyers, intellectuals, journalists, UN and other human rights watchdogs had criticized the act but the government paid no heed to their objections. Just to deceive the critics, the act has been renamed as cyber security act.
This time, the authority has denied the views of the important personalities, institutions and organizations as well. The cabinet finally approved the controversial act ignoring all views and recommendations.
Almost all sections of the digital security act are prevailing in the new act. Section 17, 19, 27 and 33 of the proposed Act are still remains unbailable. Only the shell of the act has been changed. Actually, there is no necessity of any such act.
Acting Secretary General further said, the proposed act is systematically questionable as well. There was severe fear among the people centering the digital security act and the proposed cyber security act will not be able to eliminate such fear. The stated purpose of the act is truly contradictory to the act itself. The government should respect the public view and ultimately cancel the digital security act and the so-called cyber security act.
I am urging the government not to deceive any more and for the sake of the public welfare they should cancel the digital security act and the so-called cyber security act in order to facilitate a credible and participatory election.
