60 former student coordinators reject July Declaration

Sixty of the 158 former coordinators of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) have rejected the interim government's July Declaration, calling it a deceptive farce against the people.

They have also demanded the drafting of a new declaration and a constitution that is people-friendly, according to a joint statement sent to the media Sunday night.

Confirming the matter, a former coordinator at Gono Bishwabidyalay and current leader of the National Citizen Party, Asad Bin Rony told The Business Standard, "We 60 coordinators, who had led the July Uprising, issued this statement from among the 158 former coordinators. This has nothing to do with our current political affiliations."

In their statement, they demanded a new declaration that would involve people from all classes, professions, religions, and ethnic backgrounds.

The statement further called for the election of a Constituent Assembly capable of representing the entire nation and the drafting of a new people-friendly constitution in line with a genuine July spirit. Citizens were urged to actively participate in achieving these demands.

According to the statement, old bureaucrats, oligarchs, and corrupt politicians acted to block the declaration and the formation of a people's state. They claimed that pressure from these forces derailed the planned programme for the declaration on 31 December.

Later, they allegedly conspired to produce the July Declaration – a vague document full of hollow recognitions and promises – that posed no threat to the old system.

The statement also alleged that during the formation of the interim government, two "counter-revolutionary" developments occurred: The old exploitative military, non-military bureaucracy pretended to support the mass uprising, inserted itself at the negotiating table, and influenced the government's formation according to its own agenda.

Secondly, under the influence of the bureaucracy's deceit and the compromise and cowardice of civil society leaders, student leadership accepted the old constitution, police, judiciary, and other oppressive structures in forming the interim government, thereby obstructing the public aspirations voiced in the uprising.

The signatories said it soon became clear that sabotage by the old bureaucracy, oligarchs, and corrupt politicians, combined with the weakness of a compromise-prone government, was preventing any real change in people's lives. In response, student leaders began demanding the president's resignation and a new constitution, working to organise the masses behind these demands.

They alleged that the old order then moved to destroy the public image of student leaders and to neutralise the movement for a people-friendly welfare state. Two strategies were used: tempting student leaders with opportunities for corruption, extortion, and crime, and facilitating those paths. While many resisted these temptations, some succumbed, sacrificing their ethics to become part of the exploitative system.

The other tactic was using old anti-people media outlets to run continuous negative campaigns against student leadership, damaging its connection with the public.

Abdullah Salehin Ayon, a mathematics student at Dhaka University and joint member secretary of the Bangladesh Democratic Students' Council, told The Business Standard, "We are trying to connect with all coordinators. We have rejected this declaration.

Those who attended the programme did so under pressure. Very soon, we will unite the students and people who embrace the ideals of July to press for our demands. Here, we are all above our current political identities. We will remain steadfast in our personal stance."