The smooth journey of our free media brought about a healthy change in the country after restoration of democracy in 1991 which is Bangladesh's greatest achievement since independence. Again, the vibrancy and vitality of the media is crucial to our development and advancement. And we have seen better days than the current times because of such state of the press. But if the press is not free, then the nation cannot prosper. The current chill that has descended on the media must end soon. We are looking forward to elections, and once the elections have been held, we expect and insist that there will be no deviation from the free media that a democratic polity requires to sustain itself. Indeed, even before the elections, we would like to see emergency provisions against the media lifted. During that extraordinary times of emergency, there is need for some adjustment on the part of the media, we agree. But this must also end for the sake of good election and genuine democracy. The media has exercised admirable self-discipline and restraint, and remains willing to be patient in the hopes of a trouble-free election. However, in the run up to the election there is a crucial role for the media to play, and it is important that the chilling effect of remote control must end. Things have improved over the past several months, but there is a long way to go, especially for the electronic media. A free media is the principal supporting institution that permits government to function smoothly. It is a free media that will make democracy run smoothly when it is restored.