Govt working to institutionalise July spirit with all stakeholders on board: Info minister

The government is working to institutionalise the spirit of the 2024 July Mass Uprising by bringing all stakeholders together, and its first challenge is to build an effective parliamentary system, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon said today (7 August).

He made the remarks at a discussion titled "July Mass Uprising and Bangladesh's Democratic Transition" at Dhaka University's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC), organised by the Dhaka University Debating Society.

Swapon said once parliamentary politics becomes institutionalised, the scope for pursuing politics outside democratic institutions naturally narrows.

"Despite having every opportunity for debate in parliament, some groups that took part in the democratic movement are repeatedly falling back into those old practices because of a lack of democratic values and culture," he added.

He further said, "We are already facing this challenge. We want to believe they will overcome this confusion."

The minister also said the 2024 July Uprising should not be viewed as the sole starting point of Bangladesh's history.

"If anyone thinks our journey began only with the July Uprising and seeks to erase the past, they will fail to understand Bangladesh in its entirety," he said, adding, "To understand Bangladesh fully, we must know both our thousand-year history and the Bangladesh represented by the red-and-green flag across 56,000 square miles."

The minister said the sacrifices made during the uprising, the subsequent election, the formation of a government through that election, an active parliament and the commitment of the country's leadership had together created a rare opportunity to institutionalise democratic values.

Referring to Prime Minister and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, he said the leader's conduct, public statements and political approach had also contributed to creating "a promising opportunity" to strengthen democratic institutions.

"Otherwise, the gains of the July Uprising could once again disappear into thin air," he said.

The minister also warned against "an emerging tendency" among some groups to compete over claiming credit for the uprising.

"Some people have become preoccupied with who deserves more credit, who has become a bigger star, and who can further enhance that celebrity status," he said.

He further added that the rapid rise of social media-driven fame had created "an unhealthy" fascination with personal recognition.