The aspirations that inspired the Liberation War in 1971 and the mass uprising of 1990 remain unfulfilled, and there is now a growing risk that the July 2024 mass uprising may also be derailed, said Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJON). He added that the framework agreed upon by the three political alliances during the 1990 uprising was also never realised. Whether an authoritarian structure persists, he said, depends on the democratic values and political culture of those parties. Dr Majumdar also emphasised that free and credible elections alone are not enough for democratic transition; structural reforms are essential. In this context, he said, a referendum is extremely important, and added that the government faces no obstacle in campaigning for a “yes” vote in a referendum based on expert opinions.
