Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said on Tuesday said that good governance relies on learning from history and consistently applying those lessons.
“Government would consistently uphold and practise the lessons drawn from history,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at the unveiling and publication ceremony of the book Firey Dekha Shei Shomoy (Revisiting Those Times), written by Debate for Democracy chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, held at the CIRDAP Conference Centre in Dhaka.
The minister added that a state can move forward on the right path only by learning from past experiences. While revisiting the past is a natural human tendency, documenting those memories and presenting them as learning material for future generations is equally important.
“This book analyses the political and social contexts of the 10th, 11th and 12th Jatiya Sangsad elections, helping readers understand the country’s recent political realities. The 10th parliamentary election was widely described at home and abroad as one-sided, particularly due to the uncontested victory in 151 constituencies, raising questions about electoral acceptability when a large segment of voters does not participate,” he said.
Speaking about the 11th parliamentary election, Zahir Uddin Swapan said it became known as the “midnight vote.” He alleged that, as a candidate in that election, he had to remain confined to his residence for one month and ten days. He also mentioned the presence of security personnel outside his residence, night-time drives, and arrests of political activists during that period.
He said major opposition parties did not participate in the 12th parliamentary election either. Although attempts were made to create a competitive environment by fielding rival candidates from within the same party, nearly 90 per cent of voters did not cast their ballots in reality.
According to the minister, such elections are not sustainable in the long run, and people eventually take a stand against them. He said the mass uprising of 5 August 2024 reflected this reality.
He added that studying such chapters of political history would guide future political leadership in the right direction and expressed hope that a future election system would be established that could earn public confidence.
The function was chaired by former National Press Club general secretary and book publisher Syed Abdal Ahmed.
Among others, National Press Club President poet Hasan Hafiz, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Secretary General Kader Gani Chowdhury, Daily Jugantor Editor poet Abdul Hai Shikder, Bangladesh Open University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Siddiqur Rahman Khan, and Banglavision Editor-in-Chief and Head of News Dr Abdul Hai Siddique spoke at the event.
