1400 Lives Paved the Way for State-Building

Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has remarked that for the first time since independence, there is a real opportunity to build the state collectively, an opportunity made possible at the cost of at least 1400 lives.

He made these comments during a discussion with the Revolutionary Workers Party at the National Consensus Commission's meeting at the Parliament Building in Dhaka on Tuesday, April 29. Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, and Special Advisor to the Chief Advisor Monir Haider were also present.

Ali Riaz stated, "After independence, this is the first genuine opportunity for everyone to unite in building the state, and it has come at the cost of at least 1400 lives. We owe it to those who sacrificed their lives for this opportunity. From this sense of responsibility and commitment, we must begin the real process of state-building."

He further emphasised that in a democratic society, ideological differences will exist, and language may differ, but the common goal must remain the same.

The Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission added, "We are united in our goal to create a national charter. We stand together in this effort. The success of Bangladesh's democratic forces depends on how well we can achieve this through unity."

A 10-member delegation from the Revolutionary Workers Party, led by General Secretary Saiful Haque, participated in the discussion. The delegation also included political council members Bahni Sikha Jamali, Akbar Khan, Abu Hasan Tipu, Ansar Ali Dulal, Mir Mofazzal Hossain Mushtaq, Mahmood Hossain, and central committee members Rashida Begum, Saiful Islam, and Sheikh Mohammad Shimul.

It should be noted that as part of the first phase, reports from various reform commissions—Constitution Reform, Public Administration Reform, Election System Reform, Judiciary Reform, and Anti-Corruption Commission—have been sent to 39 political parties to gather their specific opinions on the key recommendations.

So far, 35 political parties have submitted their feedback, and the Revolutionary Workers Party has held discussions with 21 political parties regarding the reforms.