Govt vows to implement: Swapon
Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Monday said the government is committed to implementing every provision of the July Charter, describing it as a document written with the blood of those martyred during the July mass uprising.
“We signed the July Charter, and the blood of the martyrs is intertwined with that signature.
Our government wants to implement every single word of the July Charter,” he said while speaking as a special guest at a discussion marking the second anniversary of the July uprising.
The programme was organised by the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) at the Jatiya Press Club.
Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended the event as the chief guest.
Swapon said the government has consistently maintained that the goals of the July Charter will be achieved through constitutional means.
“There is no constitutional or lawful platform other than the people’s elected Parliament to realise these goals,” he added.
He underscored the need for strengthening democratic culture, saying, “This is not something a single political party can achieve. It requires the collective efforts of all political parties that consistently remained involved in the movement and struggle,” he said.
The minister said the sacrifices of the July martyrs will only be honoured if the political forces claiming ownership of the movement truly understand and uphold the ideals for which the martyrs gave away their lives.
Referring to Mirza Fakhrul, he said the veteran leader’s sacrifices and perseverance over the past 17 years reflected the guidance of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The minister said the government now bears the responsibility of governing the country, activating Parliament, strengthening the judiciary, safeguarding Bangladesh’s sovereignty, enhancing the country’s standing in the international arena and creating employment opportunities for the country’s growing number of educated unemployed people.
He also said they now want to ensure good governance. “If we can do that, only then the sacrifices of the martyrs truly be honoured,” he said.
Swapon said the government will continue efforts to keep all democratic forces united until the very end.
However, he warned that if any political forces cross limits through misinformation, indecency or by knowingly or unknowingly serving the interests of conspirators under the guise of ideology, the government will have to fulfil its responsibility in the interest of establishing good governance.
