‘Institutional weaknesses help fascism take place’

Staff Reporter :

Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairperson of the National Consensus Commission, has said that the establishment of a fascist regime in Bangladesh was made possible due to a lack of efforts to build a democratic state along with institutional weaknesses over the past 53 years of governance.

He made these remarks on Thursday at the beginning of a discussion between the commission and Awamjonotar Dal (People’s Party) held at the LD Hall of the Parliament Building in Dhaka.
Other commission members present at the event included Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, and Monir Haider, special assistant to the chief advisor.

In his opening speech, Professor Riaz stated that the goal of the Consensus Commission is to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders and draft an inclusive national charter that will serve as a roadmap for the future of Bangladesh.

He said, “For the past 16 years, people from all walks of life in the country have endured the oppression of fascism – we must ensure it never returns. The time has come to build a new Bangladesh. Continued dialogue between political parties and the Consensus Commission will act as a catalyst for constructing this new nation.”

The discussion was led by Awamjonotar Dal President Mia Mashiuzzaman, and also attended by the party’s General Secretary Md. Tarek Rahman, Organizational Secretary Foysal Ahmed, Executive Member Sadhana Mahal, Tamanna Shikha, and a 12-member delegation.

It is worth noting that among the initial reform commissions formed were the Constitutional Reform Commission, Public Administration Reform Commission, Electoral System Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission, and the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission.

Summaries of key recommendations from these commissions were sent in spreadsheet format to 39 political parties, requesting their detailed opinions.