Jatiya Mukti Council Calls for Continuing the Mass Uprising, Urges Class Organisations to Implement 18-Point Programme

Jatiya Mukti Council chief coordinator Faizul Hakim has called for continuing the course of political mass uprising by building class organisations of workers, peasants and working people across the country to implement an 18-point programme. He made the call in his chair's speech at the organisation's central workers' meeting on Topkhana Road in the capital on Saturday (24 October) afternoon.

Others who spoke at the meeting included Muinuddin Ahmad, Mitu Sarkar, Kazi Iqbal, Abdus Samad, Mahfuzul Haque, Rafiq Ahmed, Kaiyum Hossain, Ujjwal Balo, Monowar Hossain, Hossein Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman Khan, Dipa Mallick and Ananta Sarkar. The country's political situation after the July mass movement was also discussed at the meeting.

An important decision was also taken at the meeting. A discussion meeting will be held in front of the National Museum at 3pm on 6 November to mark the organisation's 23rd founding anniversary, it was announced.

In his speech, Faizul Hakim presented his assessment of the July uprising. He said: 'Although the July mass uprising ousted the Awami League government led by fascist Sheikh Hasina, the foundations of fascist rule in the country — an economy of plunder, corruption, inequality and an oppressive system — remain intact.'

His allegation is that an elected government has come to power through elections, but instead of serving workers, peasants and the oppressed people, it remains engaged in serving looters and imperialism, as before.

His criticism of state-owned industries was sharp. He said that instead of modernising state-owned jute mills, sugar mills and other industrial enterprises through state initiative, investing capital and removing corruption and mismanagement, they have been leased out to looters and thrown open to plunder.

He also criticised the government over trade and port policy. According to him, a subordinate reciprocal trade agreement has been signed with the United States even knowing it will block the development of the country's industry and agriculture. He also alleged that the New Mooring Container Terminal has been leased to the Dubai-based company DP World while keeping the public in the dark.

Faizul Hakim said these decisions were taken with an unwritten consensus between the ruling party and the opposition. In other words, he claimed, there is no real opposition among the major political forces on these questions.

The international context also featured in his speech. Referring to the recent mass movement in India and the movements of students, youth and working people across Europe, he said a movement to overthrow the capitalist ruling system is building anew across the world, which is essentially the footsteps of socialism.

In his view, in this context, building workers', peasants' and working people's own class organisations in Bangladesh is the way forward. He emphasised protecting the continuity of the mass uprising by building those organisations around the 18-point programme.

It now remains to be seen whether the organisation announces any new programme from its founding anniversary discussion on 6 November, and how much response this call to build class organisations draws at the field level.