We’re giving importance to people, not power: Sarjis Alam

The student-people do not aspire for power. If they were power-oriented and had taken a decision to form a government on 5 August (2024), no political party of Bangladesh had the audacity to speak against the step.

Jatiya Nagorik Committee chief organiser Sarjis Alam made the remarks while addressing a meeting to exchange views at a programme titled, New Bangladesh in Your Eyes, at Royal Resort in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj Sunday afternoon.

He further said they spoke with the top leadership of all the political parties immediately after their victory was ensured on 5 August.

This one of the top leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement of that time informed the discussion that the advisors of the incumbent interim government were chosen based on opinions of all the stakeholders of the anti-fascist uprising. “Even today we are giving importance to the people, not power.”

Sarjis maintained, “You have high hopes. If we can’t fulfill those hopes, at the end of the day, there will be no difference between us and the past. There has been an uprising at the participation of student-people with the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the helm. Killer Hasina has left the country in fear. But this killer Hasina and some of her beneficiaries have been instigating from abroad.”

“Many have been doing politics under banners of different political platforms. The time has come for you to know your leaders; whom you have got by you in the hard times and who had capitalised benefits hiding abroad at different times. There were many leaders of different political parties in the last 16 years whom you did not find. But now they have been giving their blessings to you in different forms in this new Bangladesh. They will flee again on time,” Sarjis said.

The Jatiya Nagorik Committee chief organiser also insisted on unity to stop toll collection, syndicate in business and illegal occupancy.

He also spoke about receiving information that a few political parties, who were in the anti-fascist movement, have been providing shelter to the killers in exchange of money and other benefits.

Sarjis also talked about getting information that some of the police officials and judges have been entertaining the former killers.

He urged all not to follow anyone blindly, rather criticise everyone rationally.

Remarking that the coming election must be the best and most transparent elections in the history of Bangladesh, the Jatiya Nagorik Committee leader said, “We will have no objections even if any party wins in all 300 constituencies and no one else gets even one seat. But there should be an election keeping the aspirations of the mass uprising ahead.”

He also warned that the polling centre where any power or quarter tries to exert its influence would turn into the centre of another mass uprising.

Sarjis insisted that the post-uprising new political party will be open to people of all age, religion, opinion, and class.

“Our most important task at this moment is to form a new party. We have asked our fellow fighter in the mass uprising, Nahid Islam, to take an important responsibility abdicating power. But let me clear one thing, there are many quarters in different sectors, including the media, who have been spreading information giving certain party posts to certain people to break our unity. There could be dissents among us; but there will be no division among us regarding the party and the country. No post will determine the march of our future Bangladesh,” he stressed.

Sonargaon upazila units of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement jointly organised the meeting.