Khaleda’s legacy central to our democratic future
Upholding and emulating the ideals of former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is essential for building a better Bangladesh and deepening its democratic foundations, speakers said yesterday.
At a citizens’ mourning gathering titled “Indomitable Begum Khaleda Zia,” people from across professions remembered her as a dignified statesperson, an unwavering democrat, an uncompromising leader, and a symbol of resilience whose legacy will continue to shape the nation’s political and social course.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The meeting was held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament complex on Manik Mia Avenue and was attended by top political leaders, diplomats, journalists, development workers, academics, researchers, editors, and business leaders. The programme began around 3:00pm with recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by a condolence message.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, his wife Zubaida Rahman, their daughter Zaima Rahman, and family members including Shamila Rahman, wife of Khaleda Zia’s younger son late Arafat Rahman Koko, were present.
Presiding over the event, former chief justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain said Khaleda Zia was an inseparable part of Bangladesh’s history.
Even in the most difficult times, she displayed patience and personal dignity, enduring long imprisonment in what he described as retaliatory cases. On behalf of civil society, he urged the government to confer the highest honour upon her.
Professor Dr FM Siddiqui, a member of the medical board that oversaw her treatment after her release from prison, called for a high-level investigation committee to examine possible negligence when she was in jail.
“It is unbelievable but true that even after Madam’s [Khaleda] liver function test showed problems, the government-appointed doctors did not even run an ultrasonogram and did not stop MTX3 [a medication],” he said.
“Many people ask whether Madam was slowly poisoned. My answer is, Methotrexate [MTX] was the drug that accelerated her fatty liver disease to cirrhosis of the liver. In that context, it [MTX] acted like slow poison for her liver.
“This was wilful negligence. It is an unforgivable crime, and it needs to be examined whether this was part of a long-term plan to kill her,” he said.
Khaleda Zia is an inseparable part of Bangladesh’s history. Even during very difficult times, she showed patience and dignity. The government shoauld award her the highest honour.
Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age and president of the Editors’ Council, said Khaleda Zia played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s struggle against military and civilian autocracy.
“Through her death, she clearly proved that she was not only a leader of a nationalist party, but truly became a leader of the country. This has been proven by the participation of millions of people in her janaza,” he said.
Despite immense suffering, she had never publicly expressed pain, anger, or resentment -- a quality that drew people to her and should be practised in today’s Bangladesh, Kabir said.
Through her sense of responsibility, determination, and leadership, Khaleda Zia established herself as an indomitable and powerful leader. During her two tenures in office, important developments were achieved in the economy.
He also expressed hope that the future leadership of the BNP would uphold her democratic ideals.
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul said Khaleda Zia was unjustly convicted in what he termed the most disgraceful and farcical trial in the country’s history, describing the Zia Orphanage Trust case as a “sham and disgraceful judgment.”
He recalled a time when hardly anyone dared to speak in her defence, saying only four individuals at home and abroad could be persuaded to protest the verdict.
Bangladesh would prosper, he said, only if the country were envisioned as Khaleda Zia had envisioned it.
Khaleda Zia had a significant role in Bangladesh’s struggle against military and civilian autocracy. The future leadership of BNP should uphold her democratic ideals.
“Now the biggest concern is what Bangladesh will look like in the days ahead. If we want a better Bangladesh, we must uphold Khaleda Zia, follow her ideals, and run the country in that spirit.”
Economist Debapriya Bhattacharya said she passed away at a critical juncture, when her presence and guidance were perhaps needed most. He noted her rare patience in listening to technical advice.
“She knew how to ask questions,” he said. “She did not ask questions for rhetorical purposes; she asked them to test the robustness of logic and to identify any flaws.”
He added that she assessed technical advice through the lens of national reality, necessity, and the global context.
Prof Dr Mahbub Ullah, the chief organiser of the event, said people would remember Khaleda Zia for her patriotism, courage, honesty, dedication, sacrifice, and ability to endure oppression.
Mahbubur Rahman, president of the International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh, said Khaleda Zia emerged as an indomitable leader at a time when restoring democracy after autocratic rule and advancing the private sector posed enormous challenges.
Due to the 1994 drug pricing policy, there was quality development, research, and increased investment in the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, Bangladesh today is almost 100 percent self-reliant in medicine.
He said her two tenures saw key economic and infrastructure developments, alongside major social initiatives such as Food for Education, expansion of primary education, and support for girls’ education.
Writer Mohiuddin Ahmed said Khaleda’s life had three phases -- from 1982 to 1990, her years in power or opposition, and the period after 2007.
She would be remembered both as an uncompromising leader and later as a victim, he said.
“The country’s politics needs her elegance to make politics a gentleman’s profession,” he said. “She was refined, commanded respect, and possessed a magnetic quality rarely found in politics.”
Referring to her last speech on August 7, he recalled her call to move away from vengeance-driven politics, urging a “politics of reconciliation.”
“We have spent decades with an eye for an eye, a life for a life,” he said, warning that abusive politics would ultimately hand power to thugs.
Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, recalled that the newspaper’s founding coincided with Khaleda Zia’s rise to the premiership.
He said she deeply respected independent journalism and earned admiration for her tolerance of diverse views and acceptance of criticism.
Despite humiliation and repression, after her release on August 7 she spoke against destruction, resistance, vengeance, and revenge.
“She could have said she did not want revenge but wanted justice for what had been done to her,” Anam said. “She did not even say that.”
Calling this restraint extraordinary, he said such values, if internalised, could transform politics.
One of her last messages to the nation, he added, was the need to build a knowledge-based society. “We need a knowledge-based society with competence and skills.”
Simeen Rahman, CEO of Transcom Group, said Khaleda Zia believed business must be ethical and development value-based.
“I learned through my father, the late Latifur Rahman, founder chairman of the Transcom Group, that Khaleda Zia always encouraged businesspeople to do business ethically and in the right way,” she said.
She described Khaleda Zia as uncompromising, strong, and deeply dignified, noting her far-reaching contribution to economic development.
“In the 1990s, Khaleda Zia’s market-oriented policies helped speed up growth in the private sector, trade, and investment,” she said, citing VAT policy, financial sector reforms, the Privatisation Board, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
She highlighted her role in strengthening remittances, exports, the RMG sector, and the pharmaceutical industry following the 1994 drug pricing policy, which helped make Bangladesh nearly self-reliant in medicine.
Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, professor of Development Studies at Dhaka University, said Khaleda Zia was the silent architect of Bangladesh’s economic modernisation, noting that during her tenure two crore people rose out of poverty and remittance earnings crossed the billion-dollar mark.
Daily Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman said that in the past century, only five leaders in the region reached the height of popularity, two from the same family -- Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia.
“It is rare in world history that a husband and wife from the same household remained at the height of popularity throughout their political lives,” he said.
Addressing Tarique Rahman, he said it was both a source of pride and anxiety to be the son of such leaders. “Being equal to them is extremely difficult, and being their son makes it even harder.”
Researcher Faham Abdus Salam said, “Great sacrifice makes a great leader. If we look at the life of Begum Khaleda Zia, it was full of sacrifice.”
Veteran editor Shafik Rehman, Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad President Basudev Dhar, University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Dr SMA Faiz, diplomat Anwar Hashim, Disabled Peoples’ International President Abdus Sattar Dulal, and Raja of the Chakma Circle Barrister Devasish Roy, also spoke at the event.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee members, and other senior leaders were also present.
On both sides of the stage, large billboards displayed two of Khaleda Zia’s most famous quotes, while several monitors were placed around the venue to broadcast the programme so that everyone could follow it clearly.
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