So there will be a new president of the republic no later than August 20, as the Election Commission (EC) announced the schedule for the presidential election on the last working day of the week. Provided both the ruling party and the opposition nominate separate candidates, that is the date voting will take place in Parliament. If on the other hand a consensus candidate emerges, we may know as early as August 16 who will occupy the highest office in the state.

Not that Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, in fulfilling his duties as acting president since July 24, has left us wanting. Much like the authority and integrity with which he has fulfilled his duties as Speaker of the 13th Jatiya Sangshad, the BNP stalwart, even in the very short window we've gotten the chance to see him at Bangabhaban, has played his part with distinction. In both roles, it is his ability to rise above the fray of politics or cheap populism and speak objectively and judiciously, that has stood out.

As speaker, by now it is well-established that he treats every member of the House with respect and dignity, and wants to see them do well. Having been elected as a member of the House no less than 7 times (more than anyone else in the current Parliament), a patrician approach is palpable. He is also extremely alert to everything that is going on around him in the cavernous chamber, and regularly gives evidence of a first-rate mind, that is fully focused on the job at hand.

As acting president, though his days are now winding down, on possibly the most important national day during which he will have served in the post, he didn't fail to leave his marl. Once again, his forthrightness and tendency to not shy away from harsh truths were evident. It was on August 5 (July 36), at a programme organised by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs to mark the second anniversary of the July Uprising, where chaos broke out over a documentary screened on the events of those 36 pulsating days of 2024.

Protests erupted after the documentary reportedly omitted images of key figures and symbols of the revolution, notably student icon Abu Sayed, the first martyr of the movement. Leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) present there were said to be particularly vociferous in letting their feelings be known, before leaving the venue. At one stage during the commotion, the contingent of foreign envoys who were attending the event as part of their official duties, were also seen leaving the venue.

This obviously does not augur well for the image of the nation. The history of the July Uprising is not going to depend on a single documentary. Besides, as the acting president would later say, it would have been best to see the omissions as mistakes to be rectified. He also said he felt "ashamed and pained" by the uproar, even as he categorically declared: "A documentary (on the July Uprising) that does not show Abu Sayed is no documentary."

He spoke with an authenticity and sincerity that is rare in public servants these days. Hopefully his words don't fall on deaf ears.