Farhad Mazhar: 'Fascism cannot be abolished without repealing '72 Constitution'

Poet and political thinker Farhad Mazhar has said that the 1972 Constitution must be repealed to achieve the permanent elimination of the fascist system. He argued that while the constitution declares the people as the owners of all power, it simultaneously establishes the constitution itself as the supreme authority, which directly undermines the sovereign power of the people.

He made these remarks recently at a discussion titled 'Reviewing the Contribution of July 36 and the Responsibility for Failures,' organized by the 'My Bangladesh (AB) Party' at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium. The event focused on state reform, political unity, and the achievements and failures following the July mass uprising.
Citing that there is no room for compromise on the history of 1971, he commented that it was through the struggles of 1971 that Bengalis emerged as a nation.

Farhad Mazhar believes that the July mass uprising did not happen suddenly; it was the result of a long political, social, and intellectual process. He emphasized that building a sustainable state is impossible without creating a bridge of unity between secular and right-leaning political currents. He also stated that if the interim government led by Professor Yunus is termed illegal, then the BNP government formed through elections held under the same constitutional continuity must also be called illegal.

In his presidential address at the event, AB Party Chairman Mozibur Rahman Manju said that two governments have taken responsibility since the July uprising: first the interim government and then the BNP government. He warned that both governments will have to face the court of history if they fail to bring visible changes in state reform and people's livelihoods.

He said even after two years of the July uprising, discussions on failures are more prevalent than on achievements. While hundreds of movements took place during the interim government's tenure, no significant movement regarding demands has occurred in the last five months of the current government.

Former advisor to the interim government, Sharmin S. Murshid, said that the country must move forward by embracing the spirit of both 1971 and 2024. She added that no government can succeed without overcoming bureaucratic complexities and changing the old state system.

Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, one of the key coordinators of the July uprising and spokesperson for the NCP, commented that the July movement was the culmination of continuous struggles since 2018. He noted that the July uprising has made the people of the country much more politically aware. He also mentioned that many reform initiatives of the interim government have faced political non-cooperation.

Other speakers at the event included AB Party General Secretary Asaduzzaman Fuad, political analyst Abu Hena Razzaki, AB Party Joint General Secretaries Jubayer Ahmed Bhuiyan and ABM Khalid Hasan, and Relief and Rehabilitation Secretary Sultana Rajia. The concluding remarks were delivered by the party's Senior Vice Chairman, Professor Dr. Abdul Wahab Minar. Senior leaders of the party, along with representatives from Dhaka metropolis and various affiliated organizations, were present on the occasion.