Create effective national unity in 2025

The year 2025 marked an unprecedented New Year for us. No other New Year in the past has been like this one. After a long-standing build-up of frustration, we have embarked on a new journey. By overcoming many lines of division, we are striving to achieve an unforgettable national consensus. In the aftermath of the historic mass uprising that took place on August 5, following the united action of students and the public, the nation is now aiming to create an effective national consensus. Although there are still many questions about how this unity will take shape, the path forward remains unclear.

On the afternoon of December 31, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens' Committee had called for the declaration of the 'July Revolution's Proclamation' at the Central Shaheed Minar. This had been the subject of discussions for a week, with extensive preparations made. However, at the last moment, the decision was made not to issue the proclamation, and it was canceled. In the end, though a gathering took place, the proclamation was not issued. Finally, on Monday midnight, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement announced through social media and news outlets that instead of publishing the 'July Revolution's Proclamation', they would hold a 'March for Unity' at Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar on Tuesday, December 31. This entire event turned into a matter of ridicule. Ultimately, we witnessed that even in the call for unity, there were various divisions and ambiguities. It was said that the 'Proclamation of the Second Republic' would lay to rest the ideology of Mujibism.

The program for reading, declaring, or presenting the 'July Revolution Proclamation' gave rise to various speculations and discussions among the interim government and political parties. At one point, the government stated that it had no connection with the program, while at another, it said the proclamation would come from the government itself. Civil society was also uncertain about what would happen that day. Would there be a declaration to abolish the constitution? Or would a new political party be announced? Were the student representatives in the government advisory positions going to resign?

In the end, the gathering at the Shaheed Minar on the afternoon of December 31 had far fewer attendees than expected, and there was none of the spontaneity that was seen in the August 3 rally. The number of women was also very low. After observing the situation, it seemed that this program had turned into a mere 'showdown.' The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens' Committee appeared to be presenting themselves as a political force, and their presence in this program reflected that. There was no visible effort for unity among the general public or political parties.

So, how will the path to unity be created? In an article, Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, the esteemed fellow of CPD, wrote that the biggest challenge for the current government in 2025 will be to establish a minimum effective national consensus regarding the reforms and steps to be taken concerning the elections. This is also the demand of the country's civil society. We, too, want consensus to be established. However, as time passes, the path to unity seems increasingly elusive. For some reason, the lines of division between political parties are becoming more and more apparent. We hope that these lines of division will be removed and that an effective national consensus will be created in the new year, so that Bangladesh can move forward and not fall backward.