Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Ali Riaz has said the July Charter was drafted to ensure no individual autocrat can ever again impose themselves upon the people.
Speaking at a view exchange meeting held at the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology auditorium on Sunday morning, Riaz remarked that July uprising provided a temporary reprieve from fascist regime, the existing constitution still allow autocracy.
He urged citizens to ensure a victory for the yes vote in the upcoming referendum to implement the July Charter.
Ali Riaz asserted that every citizen is the candidate because the charter will pave the way for a humanitarian and democratic Bangladesh.
He emphasised that the nation, having been crushed under the weight of fascism, no longer desires misrule or autocratic governance.
Instead, the people seek an enlightened tomorrow defined by equity, equality, and joy, where there is no fear of enforced disappearances by soul-shaking forces or the threat of arrests in ghost cases.
He noted that this was the vision of the liberation war freedom fighters and the goal for which students and the public sacrificed their lives during the July mass uprising.
Describing the July uprising as an extraordinary achievement in national history, the special assistant noted that it provided an unexpected opportunity to establish democracy, justice, and human rights.
He mentioned that while several reforms have already been initiated, deeper and more far-reaching structural changes are necessary.
Consequently, the July Charter was formulated based on a national consensus among all political parties. He explained that the referendum has been organised because the implementation of this charter requires the direct consent of the people, and he called on everyone to participate and vote for yes.
Explaining the significance of a yes vote, Ali Riaz detailed that it would mean the government and opposition work together to form the Caretaker Government and the Election Commission.
He stated that the ruling party would no longer be able to amend the constitution at will, as public consent would be mandatory for any significant constitutional changes. Moreover, the deputy speaker of the House and chairpersons of important parliamentary committees would be elected from the opposition.
Ali Riaz also highlighted that no individual would be permitted to hold the office of prime minister for more than ten years.
The judiciary would function independently to ensure that the cry of justice no longer weeps in silence and seclusion. He concluded that a victory for yes would effectively close the path to fascism that was previously enabled by constitutional weaknesses.
The event was also addressed by M Sarwaruddin Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of Sylhet Science and Technology University, and Md Alimul Islam, vice-chancellor of Sylhet Agricultural University.
Other speakers included Md Nizam Uddin, vice-chancellor of Sunamganj Science and Technology University, and Sayeem Uddin Ahmed, vice-chancellor of Habiganj Science and Technology University.
