Adviser for youth and sports, and labour affairs Asif Mahmud on Thursday said that there was no scope for rehabilitation of the fascists in politics until their trials were fully completed.
The advisory council of the interim government has decided to convert Ganabhaban, official residence of former prime minister Sheikh hasina, into ‘July Revolution Memorial Museum’, keeping the memory of the student-led mass uprising that toppled Awami League government on August 5.
The decision was taken at the meeting of advisory council held at chief adviser’s office with professor Muhammad Yunus in chair on the same day.
‘We have already seen some programmes to rehabilitate the defeated fascist forces in many ways,’ adviser Asif told reporters in a media briefing at the ministry of foreign affairs.
Though he did not mention any political parties, he referred to those political parties and alliances which ‘established the fascist regime’.
He said that they left it to the people whether the fascists would be allowed to do politics or not in the country.
‘The government has not discussed specifically yet on how it will be implemented [banning public programmes by fascists]. But we will certainly discourage it [public programmes],’ the adviser said.
Asif said that the law ministry had already taken initiatives so that they were tried for their ‘crimes against humanity’.
Responding to a question about whether Awami League would be banned or not, he said that it would be decided by the people of the country.
‘Visible steps will soon be taken [to turn Ganabhaban into July Revolution Memorial Museum],’ adviser Asif told media while responding to a question during a media briefing at the foreign service academy.
He said that they would look into examples in other countries to build the memorial museum and keep it open to the public.
The adviser said that they would keep it unchanged [as it stands then] and there would be a museum inside Ganabhaban.
Asif said that Ganabhaban could not emerge as people’s building truly and the students and common people won it through uprising.
‘It will be kept open for the people,’ Asif said, adding that it would bear all the memories of martyrs of the uprising, tortures and injustice of the previous government.
He added that the ministry of housing and public works and the ministry of foreign affairs would jointly implement the initiative.
The advisory council also decided to form a review commission to review short term demands of the workers of all the sectors.
‘It will also have representatives from the owners,’ Asif Mahmud told a briefing in the evening.
‘This committee will not review the long term demands like wage or labour law reform as those will require much time. This committee will deal with the short term demands which can be addressed quickly,’ he added.
Chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam, deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar, and Apurba Jahangir were also present.
