State Failed to Fulfill 1971 Dream; February Election to be a ‘Referendum’ : Rizwana Hasan

SAVAR, Dhaka: Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Water Resources and Information and Broadcasting, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, today delivered a critical assessment of Bangladesh’s post-independence journey, stating frankly that the state failed to fulfill the dream of 1971.

Speaking to reporters after paying tribute at the National Memorial on Victory Day, Hasan linked the failure directly to the recent political upheavals.

“It is true that when a mass uprising has to take place even after 54 years, it means that the dream, belief, and expectations we had in 1971 could not be fulfilled by the state,” she observed.

Looking forward, the adviser expressed optimism that the upcoming February election would be a defining moment for the country’s democratic revival.

“Through this election, we will begin a strong journey towards democracy, where it will not only be an election but also a referendum,” she said, stressing the importance of government accountability.

Hasan also defended the interim government’s brief tenure, noting that its performance should be judged differently. She claimed the government inherited a state that was “completely collapsed” and that its primary task has been to “repair that collapse and put the state back on a journey.”

The adviser sternly condemned the use of violence in politics, calling it “cowardly.”

“To defeat opponents through assassination attempts rather than logic and argument is condemnable and cowardly. There is no heroism in it… There is no scope for accepting this culture in the new Bangladesh,” she emphasized.