Human Chain Demands Referendum Verdict Be Implemented

A human chain was organised in front of the National Parliament in the capital on Sunday, demanding the implementation of the July Charter and the verdict delivered through the referendum.

The programme, organised by the Referendum Implementation Citizens’ Forum, began shortly after 12:00pm at Manik Mia Avenue. It was attended by July uprising survivors, family members of martyrs, and representatives of organisations working on the July movement and state reform.

Speakers at the event said the country’s political reality had changed significantly, but that change had yet to be reflected in the constitutional and institutional framework. They argued that it was now the state’s responsibility to give practical shape to the mandate expressed by the people.

Eminenet photographer Shahidul Alam said the Constitution contains many provisions, but does not account for realities such as a mass uprising, revolution, or the fall of a ruler. Yet, he said, the people embraced those realities and proved through blood and sacrifice that they want a different Bangladesh.

He said the current political situation itself had been created by the people’s verdict, and therefore there was no room to accept one part of that verdict while ignoring another.

“If the people are truly above all else, even above the Constitution, then there is no moral or political basis to disregard the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that while not everyone may agree with every proposal, the overall verdict of the people must be respected.

Fahim Mashrur, co-coordinator of the Referendum Implementation Citizens’ Forum, said the first task of the Parliament, which is set to sit again, should be to present a clear roadmap for constitutional reform.

He said the government should urgently clarify when the reform process would begin, how the Constitutional Reform Council would be formed and operated, and what role Parliament would play in implementing the people’s verdict.

Referring to recent questions raised by some senior leaders of the ruling party over the referendum, Fahim said it was deeply disappointing that a mandate supported by nearly 68 per cent of voters was being challenged.

He demanded that the remaining 230 Members of Parliament immediately take oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council and move forward with decisions to implement the public mandate secured through the referendum.

Syed Hasib Uddin Hossain, general secretary of the State Reform Movement, said the July movement had aimed to build a Bangladesh where no future authoritarian rule could take root.

According to him, elections alone are not enough to prevent authoritarianism; what is needed is a state structure capable of preventing abuse of power and safeguarding the rights of citizens.

He said the July Charter represented that political and institutional safeguard, and warned that delaying its implementation or rejecting the referendum verdict would go against the country’s democratic aspirations.

From the human chain, speakers urged the government to immediately implement the July Charter, enforce the referendum verdict, and begin the constitutional reform process without delay.

They warned that failure to translate the people’s mandate into action could deepen political uncertainty and instability in the country.