Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday warned that if the opposition paved the way for a return to autocracy while opposing the government, it would amount to betraying the martyrs of both the 2024 July uprising and the 1971 Liberation War.
Calling for constructive opposition, he said political differences should not prevent the government and opposition from working together on national issues, including employment, public safety, healthcare, education and independence.
“If we continue with this old political culture of opposing for the sake of opposition, how can we move the country forward? The opposition must certainly oppose, but its opposition should be constructive,” he said.
The PM made the remarks at a public gathering after inaugurating the July Martyrs’ Memorial and the renovated Osmani Udyan in the capital.
Questioning the absence of opposition leaders from the programme, Tarique said the government had invited prominent opposition figures to join the event honouring the July martyrs.
“You did not need to sit on this stage with the government. You could have maintained your distance from us; there is no problem with that. But if you truly uphold the spirit of July, you could have come and sat among the families of the July martyrs,” he said.
He said opposition leaders and lawmakers had gained public recognition partly through the sacrifices of those killed, injured or blinded during the uprising.
“Yet we cannot see you among these people today,” he said, adding that people were watching whether the opposition was opposing the government merely for the sake of opposition.
He called for an end to the politics of blame, saying neither side should claim to be the sole representative of the people.
He said the government was providing treatment for those injured in the July uprising and supporting martyrs’ families through employment opportunities and other assistance.
Earlier, Tarique inaugurated the July Martyrs’ Memorial alongside Abu Sayed’s father Md Mokbul Hossain, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho’s father Mostafizur Rahman, Shahriar Khan Anas’s mother Sanjida Khan Dipti and Wasim Akram’s father Mohammad Shafiul Alam.
The 90-foot-high memorial, built on about one acre, bears the names of those killed in the uprising. Twenty symbolic grave markers stand before it.
Its relief sculptures depict the Language Movement of 1952, the mass uprising of 1969, the Liberation War of 1971, the mass movement of 1990 and the July uprising of 2024.
The PM also planted a sapling before inaugurating the renovated 23-acre Osmani Udyan, which now features water bodies, additional trees, green islands, around 3.1 kilometres of walking paths, an exercise area, public toilets, parking facilities and a rainwater-harvesting system with a capacity of 50,000 litres.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/politics/news/do-not-pave-way-return-autocracy-pm-4303071
