BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday that reforming Bangladesh’s state structure would not succeed unless rulers, politicians and citizens changed their mindset.
Speaking at a program at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, he urged political leaders and the public to see reform as a continuous process, aimed at public welfare rather than a one-time event.
“Let us adopt a mindset where we go through reform every day, reform aimed at public welfare, so we can work towards building a welfare-oriented state and society,” Salahuddin said.
The BNP leader noted that while there is growing discussion about structural reform, changing systems 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 said.
The event, organized by “Amra BNP Poribar,” provided financial assistance to injured activists from the 2024 student-led mass uprising, cancer patients and others in need.
For Salahuddin, building a better country is a two-way street. He made it clear that leaders and citizens are in this together, and questioned how things could ever get better if both sides refuse to change the way they think.
He brought up a point from Robert Kennedy—that real change is slow—and then turned the famous “ask not” question back on the audience, urging them to think about what they can contribute, instead of just waiting for the government to act.
He also linked this call for change to the sacrifices made during the Liberation War and last year’s student movement. “We must work to build the kind of society they dreamed of so that the next generation can live in a better country,” he said.
Salahuddin urged unity against the return of fascism and criticized the interim government for failing to prepare a proper list of those killed or injured in the 2024 uprising.
The meeting was presided over by BNP family convener Atikur Rahman Ruman and attended by BNP Media Cell convener Moudud Hossain Alomgir Pavel, treasurer Rashiduzzaman Millah, and assistant secretary for information and technology Ashraf Uddin Bakul.
