Change in Bangladesh has always come at the cost of lives: Fakhrul

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Thursday that whenever people in Bangladesh had demanded change, they had had to sacrifice their lives.

He said every major turning point in the country's history -- from the Language Movement and the Liberation War to the recent July mass uprising -- had been achieved through the sacrifices of ordinary people.

"To honour the blood of the martyrs, we must ensure genuine change in the state and society," he said while addressing a discussion marking July Martyrs' Day at the Information Building auditorium in the capital.

The event, organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, also featured the unveiling of a commemorative publication and a photography exhibition.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon chaired the programme, while State Minister for Information Yasser Khan Choudhury and Public Service Commission member Dr Chowdhury Sayma Ferdous attended as special guests. The dignitaries inaugurated the publication and toured the exhibition at the start of the event.

The LGRD minister described change as a continuous and inevitable process, but said that in Bangladesh every positive transformation had come at a heavy human cost.

"If, more than five decades after independence, young people still have to shed blood to demand change, it is a matter for national self-reflection," he said.

He said the July mass uprising had demonstrated that the country's youth were the driving force behind change and called for building a democratic, discrimination-free, just and corruption-free Bangladesh in honour of their sacrifices.

According to him, meaningful reform must go beyond a change in government and extend to public attitudes, administrative culture and the overall system of governance.

Drawing on his own experience, Fakhrul said he had encountered resistance to change and outdated mindsets in different sectors even after assuming office. He stressed the need for a more people-oriented, transparent and accountable administration to meet public expectations.

He also said the sacrifices of the martyrs would only be meaningful if citizens carried out their responsibilities with honesty, integrity and patriotism, adding that the spirit of July could be realised through national unity, good governance and mutual cooperation rather than revenge.

Speaking at the programme, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon urged vigilance to ensure that no one exploited the spirit and achievements of the July mass uprising for personal or political gain.

He said that whenever injustice and oppression had intensified, people had risen in defence of the ideals of freedom, and called on all to work together to uphold justice, democracy and human values in line with the spirit of July.

The event was attended by heads of departments and agencies under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, senior ministry officials, media representatives and invited guests.