BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmad said on Sunday that efforts to reform the state structure will be meaningless unless the mindset and attitude of the country's rulers, politicians and citizens also change.
"Let us adopt a mindset where we go through reform every day - a reform aimed at public welfare, so we can work towards building a welfare-oriented state and society," he said while addressing a programme at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office.
The BNP leader said everyone is now talking about reform at the state level, but reform of the system alone is not enough.
"If we truly want a welfare-oriented and humane state, we must also reform our way of thinking. Those who will run the state must go through mental reform, the people must also go through mental reform, and our mindset as a whole must change," he observed.
Salahuddin said only a collective transformation of the people, the society and the political leadership could help implement true structural reform.
He believes that if that happens, it would lead to the creation of a humane and welfare-oriented state.
"We have to see reform as a continuous process. Only then can we build a state structure that serves the people, where both the leaders and the citizens share responsibility," the BNP leader said.
"Amra BNP Poribar" arranged the programme to provide financial assistance to injured activists from the 2024 student-led mass uprising, cancer patients and other sick and helpless people.
The BNP leader said the country will now have a democratic constitution through reforms.
He, however, questioned how a humane state can exist if neither the rulers nor the people change their mindset.
The BNP leader said if people think all responsibility lies with the government, it is a wrong idea.
He mentioned that Robert Kennedy once said he might not be able to give anything to the first two generations, but maybe the third one would benefit. He said their vision should be the same – what they could do for the country, not just what the government could do for them.
Salahuddin said this is the change of mindset the nation now needs, and only then would it be possible to have a dynamic government, state and society that reflect the dreams of the martyrs and freedom fighters.
Referring to the sacrifices made during the student uprising of 2024 and the Liberation War, the BNP leader said, "We must work to build the kind of society they dreamed of - so that the next generation can live in a better country."
He urged all to work so that fascism never rises again and that the state is run in a way that reflects the will and welfare of the people.
Salahuddin said those who sacrificed their lives and got injured during the democratic movements, including the mass uprising last year, are national heroes.
The BNP leader expressed sorrow that the interim government still could not prepare a proper list of those killed and injured in the mass uprising.
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