Farhad Mazhar: This time mass uprising has failed

Writer and political analyst Farhad Mazhar said rge public uprising failed due to a lack of understanding of the relationship between law and politics.

According to Mazhar, this failure served as a necessary wake-up call, highlighting society’s ignorance and unconsciousness

Mazhar shared these thoughts at a meeting titled "Corruption and the President or Reform" organized by the Center for Democracy and Peace Studies at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the National Press Club on Friday.

Farhad Mazhar said: “We speak of democracy while ignoring the people. Even after the uprising, we ignored the people, which is strange. So many people have been martyred, so many have become crippled, and yet we have still ignored the public. This is not right.”

The political analyst said: “The term 'constitution' is not correct. It is used by colonial powers to establish laws over those they wish to govern. This is what is called a constitution. In democracy, there should be no difference between the governed and the governing. In democracy, the people are their own rulers.”

He added: “In 1972, those who were elected to create Pakistan's constitution came back and drafted the constitution for an independent Bangladesh. They enacted what they wanted for governance, adding socialism, secularism. Their ideology is what we call fascism. They imposed their ideology on us, governing us under this for so many years. The Awami League tried to show that they embodied the spirit of the Liberation War, yet the spirit of the Liberation War was about equality, human dignity, and justice.”

Mazhar further commented: “You carried out an uprising, but no oath is needed for an uprising. If you had taken your oath in front of the Shaheed Minar or the Raju Memorial Sculpture, you would have truly honored those who were martyred and those left crippled. But the moment you entered Bangabhaban, you betrayed the blood of the martyrs. And the consequences of that betrayal are visible to you every day. You will continue to see these consequences in the future, repeatedly, in different forms.”

He continued: “You are discussing one or two reforms within the government. This is not the topic of discussion today. Today one person is in government; tomorrow, it will be someone else. The primary issue is to build the state itself. We need to build a state in which we are all part of it, universally inclusive. We want a state that secures our life and livelihood, that does not infringe upon our personal freedom and dignity. Drafting a constitution is not a difficult task.”

He also added: “Some say that to establish Islam in Bangladesh, Farhad Mazhar must be killed. If killing me would establish Islam, then, Insha Allah, I would be killed in the name of Allah. Do not try to scare me. But do not promote fascism under the name of Islam.”