Professor Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, has said that the citizens of Bangladesh have expressed their verdict clearly and unequivocally in favour of the constitutional reform proposals outlined in the July National Charter.
This verdict, he noted, makes it evident that the majority of Bangladeshis do not wish to return to the previous system or maintain the status quo. They seek change and reform of the state structure.
He made these remarks at a briefing held this morning (Saturday) at the auditorium of the Foreign Service Academy.
Quoting from Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus’s address to the nation ahead of the referendum, Ali Riaz said: “A national transformation can never be sustainable if it is achieved through unilateral decisions or single-party rule. The people are the true source of the state’s strength. The ultimate legitimacy of change derives from the consent of the people. Therefore, providing citizens with the opportunity to take direct decisions in determining the country’s future direction is the cornerstone of the democratic path.”
“With this objective in mind, we organised the referendum so that the people could directly express their views on the future course of national reforms. The public responded to my call. The verdict has come in favour of reform,” he added.
Ali Riaz said the outcome of the referendum should not be viewed merely in numerical terms.
“This verdict is an acknowledgement of the responsibility entrusted to us by those who sacrificed their lives, those who were injured and those who fought fearlessly during the July–August mass uprising of 2024. It represents the people’s commitment to fulfilling the duty they have assigned to us.”
He continued: “The referendum reflects the public aspiration to establish institutional structures to ensure that the rivers of martyrs’ blood, mothers’ tears and the cries of the oppressed witnessed over nearly 16 years are never repeated. The will expressed by the sovereign people in 2024 has once again been reaffirmed through this referendum. We have no opportunity to forget these matters.”
Ali Riaz further said that the clear popular mandate for reform expressed through the referendum places responsibility upon the political parties to implement it. He noted that all political parties are committed to state reform. “We call upon the ruling party, the parties represented in the National Parliament and the Constitutional Reform Council, as well as those outside Parliament, to ensure, through dialogue and unity, the implementation of this popular mandate,” he said.
