July Charter a pact between people and political parties: Ali Riaz
Staff Reporter :
The July National Charter is a pact between the people and political parties, and the primary responsibility for its implementation rests with the parties themselves, said Prof Ali Riaz, special assistant to the chief adviser, on Wednesday.
“Thirty political parties formulated these agendas through uninterrupted discussions over nine months. Therefore, the responsibility to translate this pact into reality rests with the political parties,” he said. “This is not something imposed from above; it is meant to realise the dreams of countless martyrs.”
Ali Riaz made the remarks at a seminar titled “Peaceful Election and Prevention of Violence: Grassroots Experiences”, organised by the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) in Gulshan in the morning.
Referring to the July mass uprising, he said it was driven by a single core demand: the establishment of justice in Bangladesh.
“Those who committed injustice must be brought to justice. The core objective of the uprising is to ensure that fascism or feudal domination can never again be established in Bangladesh,” he said.
Stressing the need for accountability and democratic safeguards, Ali Riaz said a balance of power must be created and people’s voting rights guaranteed through elections.
“If we want justice, reforms and a new democratic political system, there is no alternative to elections. The authority over referendums, elections and constitutional reforms belongs to the people alone,” he said.
He noted that students and citizens had sacrificed their lives to free the country from what he described as fascist oppression and said Bangladesh is now on a path of democratic transition.
“That democracy must be strengthened so that every citizen feels they are an owner of the state. Therefore, on 12 February, everyone must exercise their voting rights freely and independently, and vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum,” he said, calling on all to campaign in favour of the ‘Yes’ vote.
Ali Riaz expressed hope that a prosperous, egalitarian, humane and justice-based Bangladesh could be built through unity and collective effort.
Meanwhile, a BEI survey presented at the seminar showed mixed levels of public confidence and awareness regarding the July Charter and the upcoming referendum.
The survey, conducted among 400 men and women at the grassroots, along with 200 local influential figures, political leaders, and district- and upazila-level administrators, found that only 30 percent of respondents believe the July Charter will be implemented, while only 40 percent are aware of the referendum.
It also found that 50 percent believe the country’s situation will improve after the election, while 60 percent expect a violence-free election.
Commenting on the findings, Ali Riaz said the absence of a strong institutional framework remains one of the greatest challenges to Bangladesh’s democratic transition, adding that political parties must decide whether they are genuinely committed to building democratic institutions.
Emphasising the need for deep structural change, he said it would not be possible to build a “new Bangladesh” while keeping the existing constitution unchanged.
“If we believe that the future Bangladesh can be built by preserving the current constitution as it is, then we are making a fundamental mistake,” he added.
The seminar was attended by leaders of several political parties and organisations, including representatives of Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Democratic Party (NDP), AB Party and the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), among others.