Opinion | There Are Grievances Against the Awami League, but Expectations Remain High: No More Compromises This Time

Moonmoon Sharmin Shams

(Women’s rights activist, writer and journalist)

Sheikh Hasina is returning. The Awami League must also be brought back to the political arena. There is no alternative. Those who want to hold back the party that led the Liberation War through dirty tricks and conspiracies will be in danger. It is inevitable. Therefore, the return of the Awami League is only a matter of time.

Whatever criticism or opposition the Awami League may have, their opponents must do it politically, in a proper democratic way. In a civilized way. Not in the way shown by Yunus, the hired servant of the Deep State.

After a long two and a half years, the Awami League Central Executive Committee meeting will be held on September 18. Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will preside over it. The last meeting of the Awami League Central Executive Committee was held on April 30, 2024. Sheikh Hasina’s vision of returning to the country, establishing the rights of the people, and liberating Bangladesh in the spirit of the Liberation War will be finalized in this meeting.

We, the common people and supporters who are pro-freedom, love Bangabandhu, and trust Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, are eagerly awaiting this return and change.

Why am I here? Because only the Awami League can drive out the Razakars and punish the conspiring traitors. No one else. I have no trust in anyone else. But my expectations from the Awami League this time are much more difficult, complex and critical.

This time, I am not willing to make any concessions to the Awami League. I want to clearly state what I want from the Awami League as a supporter.

My wish

I want to see the Awami League as the custodian of Bangladesh’s culture, heritage, art, and literature. May we never again see any kind of urge to please any fanatic, superstitious, fundamentalist, or dark people in the Awami League.

Awami League will stand for modern good education in the country. Awami League will take a stand against all kinds of dark and wrong education systems. Awami League will work with the people to bring this education system into line with the end of clericalism.

Awami League will be modern. Their workers will enlighten themselves with civilized and beautiful education. They will consider people as human beings. They will consider men and women of all genders as one. They will not speak badly of anyone. The Awami League will devote itself to breaking the dirty rules of that society that has a tendency to speak against women’s freedom and women’s wishes.

The workers who will do this work will be civilized, beautiful, educated people. We don’t want to see any more CP gangs. Never, ever.

The central leaders of the Awami League will go to the people. They will learn to take the pulse of society. They will no longer behave like fools by looking the other way and thinking they are something big. This has happened a lot.

Awami League must learn to take criticism. Awami League must learn to understand even the harshest criticism. Of course, there is an opportunity to see who the criticism is coming from. But the trend that was once created in the party of harassing critics with the tag given by the Guptas whenever they criticize must be abandoned.

After 24, I hope they have learned to recognize who their true well-wishers are. So this time it has become rather easier.

The Awami League must understand the new generation. It is their duty to learn to understand them, no matter what they are. There is no room for evading responsibility by saying “the generation is bad”. It is everyone’s responsibility to cleanse the bad generation. Theirs too. Whether they are in power or not.

I have a lot more to say. For now, this is all that came to mind, so I wrote it down.