He made these remarks as the chief guest at the unveiling ceremony of a book titled 'Bangladeshi Nationalism, Tarek Rahman and the Current Context,' held at the Abdul Salam Auditorium of the National Press Club on Monday.
The Information Minister said that after independence, various political parties emerged in Bangladesh's politics. When analysing the political philosophies of these parties, fundamental differences regarding nationalism, the state, and civic identity become clear. The philosophy of governing the state must encompass the identity and dignity of all people living within Bangladesh's 56,000 square miles of territory.
He said that the culture of the majority and the culture of democracy are not the same. In a state, alongside the majority, minority communities must also be ensured equal rights and dignity. The experience of identity-based division in Bangladesh's history, including the events in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and their various consequences, still reminds us that the state's political structure must be built by embracing diversity.
Referring to the contribution of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, the Information Minister said that through the bloody history and experiences of division surrounding Muslim-non-Muslim and Bengali-non-Bengali identities, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman politically structured the concept of Bangladeshi nationalism. By making civic identity rather than religious or ethnic identity the basis of national identity, he introduced a new philosophy in Bangladesh's politics.
Raising the issue of post-independence political instability, he said that the political changes of 1975 and subsequent instability plunged Bangladesh into a deep crisis. In that situation, President Ziaur Rahman took steps to revive the political process. Through the reintroduction of multi-party politics and the establishment of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, he initiated a new political direction in Bangladesh.
The Minister said that in contrast to one-party rule, multi-party democracy, and in contrast to a single identity, the coexistence of multiple identities, opinions, and cultures—this is where the political strength of Bangladeshi nationalism lies.
He said that after Shaheed Ziaur Rahman, Begum Khaleda Zia advanced this political philosophy of Bangladeshi nationalism through movements and struggles. Today, Prime Minister Tarek Rahman is leading that continuity. If one deeply understands the philosophy of Bangladeshi nationalism, the political reality of present-day Bangladesh and the underlying strength of Prime Minister Tarek Rahman's leadership can be more clearly comprehended.
He said that the political reality in which Prime Minister Tarek Rahman has received the responsibility of governing is underpinned by long-term political movements and struggles and the continuous development of Bangladeshi nationalism. The torch that Shaheed Ziaur Rahman lit, and that Begum Khaleda Zia carried forward through struggle, is now in the hands of Prime Minister Tarek Rahman.
The event was chaired by BNP Chairman's Adviser Advocate Nazmul Haque Nannu, and among others, Member of Parliament Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas spoke.
