We have our brave students who have shouldered the responsibility of this nation during this critical juncture. We salute our students for creating another history in the country again as they did in 1952, 1969, 1971 and 1990.
Our students made an outstanding contribution to the Liberation War in 1971. They also played a vital role in 1952, 1969 and 1971 to save our mother tongue and motherland. Military dictator Ershad stepped down in the face of a mass upsurge on December 6, 1990. Our students played a big role in forcing HM Ershad to quit.
The long-ruling leader Sheikh Hasina also stepped down and fled the country in the face of massive students’ protest. The courageous students fought for the right. Therefore, many students had to give their lives in defence of our nation from killings, repressions, oppressions, tortures, humiliations, forced disappearances, corruption, misdeeds and misrules.
Let’s pause a moment to remember their suffering and the price they had to pay to secure the freedom we have today. The nation witnessed that people from all walks of life joining the students’ anti-discrimination movement that turned into a ‘Total non-cooperation movement’.
The movement was now not only limited to students as guardians, doctors and different professionals, artistes, cultural activists, journalists and people from all strata of society took part in it ignoring all fears.
The central point of this movement
is that people have been awakened
by our brave students again
The central point of this movement is that people have been awakened by our brave students again. It has been proved again that no movement can be defeated when the youth and students wake up. Nobel Laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus will serve as the head of the interim government. As per the proposal placed before the President Mohammed Shahabuddin by the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Professor Dr Yunus has been made the chief adviser to the interim government.
Our students were seen serving as volunteer traffic controllers at every signal point on Wednesday and Thursday as the “police forces became totally dysfunctional”. Students from schools, colleges and universities were sweeping and removing waste from the streets.
They say this is their country; this is their city. They are determined to work together to keep it beautiful and ensure order on the streets.
The general people of the country are lauding their initiatives, saying the people have a lot to learn from the young generation. They will encourage future generations. We all should join such initiatives.
We all must forget the vengeance and revenge and strengthen the hands of students and youth to maintain a peaceful environment in the country. We the general people of the country now should concentrate to building a knowledge-based and non-discrimination society.
Therefore, we all have to strengthen the hands of students and youth to build modern Bangladesh based on peace, progress and equality. Our brave students have made this possible through the hardest struggle. We expect responsible behaviour from all.
Professor Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government, appealed to all students, members of all political parties and non-political people of the country to stay calm and refrain from all kinds of violence. He (Prof Yunus) congratulated the brave students who took the lead in making “our Second Victory Day” possible and the people for giving their total support to the students.
