Emran Emon

The year 2024 is a momentous and mooted year in the history of Bangladesh. The most discussed phenomenon of this year is the downfall of a big political party that had been in power for a long time, especially through the Student-People's uprising, which is also known as July Uprising. The downfall of Awami regime that had been in power for a long time due to a short-term ‘mastermind’ movement, is now the focus of discussion at home and abroad.

No one has ever been able to remain in power by oppressing students and shedding their blood. All those, who have committed such acts in the course of history, have met with tragic consequences. We can see the evidence if we look back a little to our history.

And those who, due to a little greed, join hands with some despots, and destroy the larger interests of the country and the nation—the ultimate result is not good in the end. History proves it before us. Nature never forgives the Mir Jafars', even if they are in a good position temporarily, they cannot escape from the ‘Revenge of Nature’. They have to suffer the tragic consequences of their actions.

We have seen the evidence of these activities at various times. Many youths have been martyred around the recent quota reform movement, which was by no means expected. Those whose irresponsibility and provocation killed so many lives must also be given a fair trial. In the end, the ruling government was forced to resign in the face of this student movement. Like in 1952, 1969, 1971 and 1990, the student movement of 2024 has also won. And this victory is a big example for Bangladesh in the future. This movement is a great example of the great changes that the youth can bring, if they want, the forces that are defeated by the power of the youth.

The patriotism and self-sacrifice of our Rafiq, Shafiq, Salam, Jabbar, Barkat, Asad, Motiur, Noor Hossain, Masterda Surya Sen, Birkanya Pritilatas' are floated in the blood of the students of this country. What evil forces will resist them?

The July Uprising was entailed mainly around the movement for quota reform in government jobs. Finally, the July Uprising was successful on August 5, changing the course of Bangladesh's long-standing centralized political system. An interim government was formed under the tutelage of Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus appointed as the Chief Advisor.

The interim government has taken on the responsibility of reforming the devastated state. But in the sectors where real reforms are needed, reforms are not being seen there. Therefore, even after around five months of forming the government, significant success cannot be seen yet. In terms of the expectations that the people have about the interim government, this government must demonstrate success.
The youth of this country can win the victory by defeating all evil forces, and finally the victory has come in 2024's student movement. Our statesmen have forgotten that the young generation is an important human resource of a state. The future statesmen must give special importance to the youth—their thoughts and opinions must be given importance in the construction of the state. This youth movement is a great lesson for future statesmen.

Patriotic, honest, educated, talented and prudent people must be given importance in building the future Bangladesh. The defunct four fundamental principles of the state: Nationalism, Socialism, Democracy and Secularism must be re-established. The poison of communalism must be rooted out. People's right to vote and freedom of speech that have taken away from people must be brought down, freedom of opinion and free thinking environment must be established. Disenfranchisement is the tool used to establish dictatorships and autocracies and to make the people ‘puppets’. The voting rights of the people must be re-established.

The recent 'alarming' term in Bangladesh is ’plutocracy in politics’. This system is responsible for the pathetic condition of today's Bangladesh. When politics is controlled by the rich and when these communities influence state policy-making, the structure of the welfare state collapses completely. At that time, irregularities, corruption and party favouritism become rampant. Then the country goes into the abyss.

If we look at the recent Bangladesh, we can see the example of it's terrible impact. Recently, we have seen how each industrial group has made an ’Aladdin's lamp’ (Aladiner Cherag) by looting the money and resources of the people of this country and smuggling them abroad. People of this country have seen how they have destroyed the banking sector of the country—how they have broken the backbone of the country's economy. And all these plutocrat looters were closely involved with the politics and government policies of this country. This system must be ended in the welfare of the country.

Another issue is that since August 5, an organized group has created a new ‘purposeful objective’ debate on 1971 and 2024. Both 1971 and 2024 are inevitable realities for us, both are our history, and both are instructive for us. There is no way to deny either of them. If the history of the great 1971 had not been entailed, the history of 2024 would not have been created. Both histories are great fields for us to learn from, neither can be denied nor erased by pressing the ‘reset button’. In the case of rulers, especially in Bangladesh, it is noteworthy that when they sit in power, they forget the past history.

If anyone criticizes those in power in this country rationally, or calls a mistake a mistake, they are erased by them from history, regardless of their contribution to the country. Such a culture of vengeance and ingratitude is not found anywhere else in the world.

In this country, different rulers at different times have distorted history for their purposes. As soon as they ascended the throne of power, they made only their own clansmen ‘gods’, excluding the contributions of others, creating a one-sided and controversial history. But they forget that just as cosmetics are washed off when water is poured, ‘cosmetic history’ is also destroyed at some point. History then takes its own revenge on history. Such distortion and degradation of a country's national history is nowhere to be found in the world.

One thing needs to be taken care of, so that 'democracy' does not escape from the country through the back door, as it has escaped at various times in the past. More care should be taken so that no one can do ‘mischief’ with the independence and sovereignty of the country. Because the game is going on with the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh. May Bangladesh, bought with blood, overcome all the crises and move forward on the path of prosperity—this is the expectation.

The writer is a, Researcher, Journalist and Columnist