Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter on Wednesday urged voters to cast a ‘Yes’ vote in the upcoming referendum, saying the message of constitutional reform enshrined in the July National Charter can only be delivered through a clear public mandate.

“The ‘Yes’ seal is extremely valuable. It is not just a symbol—it represents responsibility. With that responsibility, we must move the country forward,” Farida said while addressing a public awareness meeting in the afternoon at Narayanganj aimed at mobilising voters in favour of the referendum.

Farida said, the interim government was tasked with implementing reform initiatives, but acknowledged that not all reforms agreed upon with political parties could be fully carried out without an elected government. “Through this vote, the people are sending a clear message—that once elected, political leaders must implement the necessary reforms on behalf of the public.”

She described the people as the true force behind the country’s future transformation and called on citizens to actively engage in awareness campaigns down to the union level. “Our single call is this: the responsibility for change entrusted to us by the youth must be re-established through the electoral process.”

Referring to the election scheduled for the 12th, Farida said it was not an ordinary vote. “This interim government is the outcome of the historic mass uprising by students and the people. Those who sacrificed blood, limbs and lives to dream of a new Bangladesh entrusted us with this responsibility for a limited time,” she said, adding that the nation remains indebted to the martyrs and the injured.

She also mentioned that the Chief Adviser and several advisers recently visited a museum preserving memories of the July–August mass uprising. “The names and evidence of more than four thousand victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are preserved there. Traces of killings, including at Shapla Chattar, still exist. These reminders make it clear that fascism must never return.”

The programme was chaired by Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Md Raihan Kabir. Police Superintendent Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Munshu and Md Abul Kalam, father of Md Adil—the district’s first martyr of the 2024 mass uprising—also spoke at the event.

Following the meeting, the adviser distributed leaflets in support of the ‘Yes’ vote. Government officials from various departments, political leaders and representatives of different professions were present.