SYED Jamil Ahmed鈥檚 tendering resignation from his position as the director general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is something unwarranted in that his appointment to the position in the changed political context after August 5, 2024 was one of the pleasant happenings. It had so been because this was, perhaps, for the first time that the Shilpakala Academy, the principal state-sponsored cultural centre of the country which is known to have almost always been functioning in a partisan manner, has had a chance to become a centre of cultural excellence in his appointment. The director general took over on September 9, 2024. But, he tendered his resignation on February 28 in a letter to the secretary to the cultural affairs ministry. The letter was also handed over to the academy鈥檚 secretary at the closing ceremony of the Munier Chowdhury National Theatre Festival at the Shilpakala Academy. And, what is worrying about this is the reasons that he has given out for his resignation. The reasons appear to be meddling with the autonomy of the institution.
Syed Jamil Ahmed has cited administrative interference and bureaucratic obstacles as major reasons for his decision to resign. He has also claimed that he could not work independently and faced repeated delays in the realisation of the allocations required for the academy鈥檚 development. He has also alleged lack of cooperation from government officials and employees and issues of corruption and syndication that have made it difficult for him to discharge his responsibilities. All this is reported to have happened during the tenure of the current adviser on the cultural affairs ministry. Knowing all this having happened puts a bad taste in the mouth. Whilst the government, in such an embarrassing situation, should aim for the resolution of the issue in a meaningful way, the cultural affairs adviser has given a posting on his Facebook wall, questioning Syed Jamil Ahmed鈥檚 temperament to work with the bureaucracy and claiming that all that Jamil Ahmed has said is not entirely true. The adviser has further claimed that there are some lies in what Jamil Ahmed has said and some issues manifest from the disappointment of not having been able to deal with the situation. This suggests that the adviser, if not the government, has embarked on a confrontational course rather than reconciliation. The resignation is reported not to have been accepted as yet, at least until the afternoon of March 1.
The government should, therefore, rather shun any confrontational course and aim for a reconciliation by attending to justified grievances of Syed Jamil Ahmed and meeting his just demands.
