Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Tuesday said people’s voting rights have repeatedly been curtailed and even “killed” throughout the country’s history, stressing that the core goal of the July–August mass uprising was to ensure fascism never returns.
He made the remarks while delivering the opening speech in a scheduled discussion on the “July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order, 2025” in parliament on Tuesday.
“The aspiration that has emerged through the July–August uprising of students and the masses is fundamentally aimed at ensuring that fascism can never return to the country,” he said.
Shafiqur said that in a democratic state without monarchy, there is no provision for hereditary rule, and governments are formed through people’s votes. “However, despite being elected by the people, past governments have repeatedly undermined voting rights, and in some cases, those rights have effectively been killed.”
Criticizing the country’s first elected government, he said those who benefited from multi-party democracy later abolished it and introduced a one-party BAKSAL system.
“With one-party rule being constitutionally recognized in the 1972 Constitution, the people’s vote lost all value,” he added.
Referring to more recent political developments, Shafiqur said the government formed in 2009 retained power through what he described as “dummy and farcical” elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024.
“For more than 15 and a half years, the nation has been subjected to severe misrule and devastation,” he said. “Countless mothers have been bereaved; children have been orphaned.”
He alleged that many people were forcibly disappeared, with 235 still missing, while 2,662 people were victims of extrajudicial killings and denied even minimal access to justice.
He also said that constitutional institutions were destroyed to establish partisan control.
Highlighting the July–August uprising, Shafiqur said it was a consequence of such actions.
“In July 2024, a wildfire ignited among young students, which reached its culmination on August 5. That is why ‘36 July’ has been established in the country’s calendar,” he said.
He added that the movement involved people from all walks of life, including farmers, workers, laborers, and boatmen.
“Mothers took to the streets with infants, and even a four-year-old child was martyred in this movement,” he said.
Explaining the background of the reform order, Shafiqur said the aspiration born out of the bloodshed is to build a just and fair state where all citizens enjoy equal rights.
“Based on this aspiration, after prolonged discussions among major political parties, the interim government finalized reform proposals, and the honorable president has issued an order in this regard,” he added.
