Government wants to create institutional structure to build democratic country without shackles: Information Minister

Photo: Collected

News Desk: Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said that the government aims to establish a permanent institutional framework to prevent repeated attempts to suppress the rights and creative potential of the people, ensuring that no one can ever again place the nation "in chains."

He made the remarks on Thursday at the unveiling ceremony of the publication "July of Breaking the Chains" (Shikol Bhangar July), organized by the Press Information Department (PID) at its conference hall in the Bangladesh Secretariat to mark the second anniversary of the July Mass Uprising.

The minister said that although Bangladesh is now more than 55 years old, the voices and rights of its people have repeatedly been suppressed. "Time and again, we have had to shed blood and sacrifice lives to break these chains of oppression, and as a result, the country's natural path toward prosperity has been disrupted. Countries that have maintained uninterrupted development have become some of the world's leading powers," he said.

Highlighting what he described as the distinctive nature of the July Mass Uprising, Swapan said that previous political movements had largely ended with resistance against injustice and popular uprisings but eventually lost direction, creating opportunities for the emergence of new forms of authoritarianism. "This time, however, when we sang the song of breaking the chains of fascism, we also planned how to rebuild the country," he added.

He further stated that the achievements secured through blood and sacrifice could not be effectively delivered to the people under the old system. "That is why we have spoken about reforming the state's institutional structure and political system," he said.

The Information Minister also argued that earlier political movements lacked a clear roadmap before the struggle began. Referring to the 1971 Liberation War, he said that political indecision at one stage had led Major Ziaur Rahman, an officer of the Pakistan Army, to make the historic declaration of Bangladesh's independence. According to the minister, the defining feature of the 2024 Mass Uprising was that the country's future direction had already been outlined through Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's 31-point agenda, and that the government is now working toward implementing those objectives.

Speaking at the event, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Chowdhury recalled what he described as 17 years of struggle against authoritarian rule. He said that the country's return to the democratic process was made possible through the sacrifices of the July movement participants and that the current government assumed office through a free and fair election. He also credited the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the country's democratic progress.

The State Minister prayed for the eternal peace of those who lost their lives during the July Mass Uprising and wished a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md. Shah Alam said that the commemorative publication was released to honor the memories of the July Mass Uprising on its second anniversary. He noted that the book documents the real-life experiences of those who took part in the movement despite imprisonment, persecution, torture, and fear during what he described as a period of authoritarian rule. He expressed hope that the publication would serve as a valuable historical record for readers and researchers in the years to come.

Chief Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed said that the book primarily contains the firsthand experiences and memories of individuals who actively participated in the struggle to restore democracy over the past 17 years, many of whom faced multiple legal cases and imprisonment. He added that the publication is the Press Information Department's modest effort to institutionalize and preserve the contributions of activists and organizers on the second anniversary of the July Mass Uprising.