New Youth-Led Political Party Set To Take Oath

The much-anticipated official announcement of the 'National Citizen Party' (NCP), formed by student leaders of the July 2024 Uprising, is set to take place within hours at a grand rally on Manik Mia Avenue. The party’s leadership will take an oath, declaring equality and human dignity as the foundation of a new Bangladesh—what they term as the "Second Republic."

The declaration obtained from the National Citizen Committee says, "We believe that the July 2024 mass uprising has started the fight to establish our Second Republic. By formulating a democratic new constitution, we have to end all possibilities of re-establishing constitutional dictatorship.

It says, One of our primary goals is to formulate a new constitution through the Constituent Assembly elections to establish our Second Republic. Our Second Republic will have a strong defense system to protect national interests. Rebuilding the collapsed political, social, economic and cultural institutions and preserving their democratic character will be the priority of our politics. Only through this will we be able to emerge as a fully democratic state.

The declaration states that in the context of the July 2024 student uprising, under the leadership of the anti-discrimination student movement and at the initiative of the National Citizens' Committee, we, the students and people of Bangladesh, declare this—

We, as the people of the Bengal, have stood with a rich and unique culture in a thousand-year historical cycle. After a long struggle against British colonial rule of almost 200 years, the state of Pakistan was established in 1947. However, the people of this country were not freed from exploitation and discrimination. As a result, in the continuation of a long 23-year struggle, the independent state of Bangladesh was born in 1971 through the Great Liberation War in exchange for the blood of millions of martyrs. But for a long time after independence, the people of Bangladesh had to fight for democracy again and again. In 1990, the students and the masses had to overthrow the military dictatorship with the fresh blood of their chests. However, even after five decades of independence, we have not been able to create a political settlement that ensures democracy, equality, human dignity and social justice. Rather, in the past 15 years, a brutal fascist regime has been established in the country, where democracy has been destroyed by recklessly using state institutions for the interests of the ruling party. Suppression of opposition voices, disappearances, extrajudicial killings, all-out corruption and money laundering have been turned into a state culture.

In July 2024, the students and the masses, through immense sacrifice, brought down the fascist government that had been in power for a long decade and a half through an unprecedented coup. But we must remember that this new freedom, achieved at the cost of the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs, did not happen just to overthrow one government and install another. The people responded to this uprising out of a desire for a new political settlement by abolishing the fascist system that was lying at the heart of the state, so that a state based on the rights of the people could be reconstructed. With that aim in mind, we are announcing the establishment of the National Citizens Party (NCP). It will be a democratic, just, and people-representative political party.

We want the development of a political culture where unity replaces division, justice replaces revenge, and merit and competence replaces dynasticism at all levels of society and the state. There will be no place for corruption and nepotism in our politics.

In our Second Republic, the voices of the backward sections of society will be brought to the mainstream. In our Republic, the common people, and only the common people, will be the sole source of power. Strong protection of all their democratic and fundamental rights will be the motto of our politics. We want to build a diverse and prosperous society by preserving traditions, social, religious and cultural values. Our Republic will provide strong protection to all citizens from poverty, discrimination and abuse of power. Our Second Republic will not discriminate against any section of the population of Bangladesh. Rather, every citizen of the state will be given equal importance and security will be ensured for all.

In the economy, we want to build a national economy that is self-reliant and free from income inequality through the proper coordination of the agriculture-service-manufacturing sectors. In our economy, wealth will not be concentrated in the hands of a specific group, but rather, balanced redistribution of wealth will be the motto of our economy. We will protect consumers and public interests by taking firm steps to control private sector syndicates and group interests. We will ensure regional cooperation and international partnerships to stand tall as a strong state in the region through economic progress, and a sustainable, modern economy will be built by developing an innovative culture with emphasis on the science and technology sector.

Finally, we want to reiterate our determination to establish a fair and equitable society. We firmly believe that the July 2024 mass uprising is not only a victory against a fascist regime, but also an oath to build our future. Let us, together, hand in hand, build a Bangladesh where the voice of every citizen will be heard, where the establishment of justice, the struggle for human rights will be one of the goals of politics. Where equality and human dignity will be the foundation of the state. Now is the time—to dream new dreams, to walk a new path, and to build a new Bangladesh!

So let us, each from our own position, take an oath. Let us unite. And let us move forward with determination in the fight to establish our desired Second Republic. Our country, our rights, our future—our Second Republic is not an elusive dream, it is our promise!