Two speakers at a discussion in the capital on Sunday expressed differing views on amending the Constitution to implement reform initiatives during the interim regime.
President of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) Maj Gen (Retd) ANM Muniruzzaman said the interim government should not bring change to the Constitution, whereas Justice MA Matin said the constitution is not any divine book.
The National Consensus Commission arranged the discussion with the Civil Society at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) in the city. vice chairman of the Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz presided over the event.
Constitution should not amended during this interim regime: BIPSS President Muniruzzaman
"I personally think that no change should be brought in the constitution. Only public representatives or those who are elected through election can change the constitution,” said Muniruzzaman.
First round of national consensus talks concludes after two months
He said no one except elected public representatives has the right or jurisdiction to make major changes to the Constitution. “If we try to do so, it will be difficult for us to overcome the complications that may arise later," he added.
The security expert said the prime objective should be to restore democracy as soon as possible as one of the major aspirations of the July-August revolution is transition from an absence of democracy.
He said it would be high ambition that the interim government would accomplish all reforms and rather this government should focus only on practical, sustainable changes with political consensus. “Reforms will not be sustainable if political parties and political leadership do not agree,” he said.
The BIPSS chief emphasised that the voting rights of the people, who have struggled for over 16-17 years, must be restored without delay. “Any action that delays restoring these rights should be avoided.”
Constitution should be changed to implement reforms: Justice MA Matin
In contrast, former Justice MA Matin argued that the reform initiatives are here to amend the Constitution. “I’m surprised someone says the Constitution should not be touched. Is it a sacrament or sacred divine message? If we cannot amend it, why are we even here?” he asked.
He said the reform issues are being discussed now as this constitution has become failed and futile. The July-August revolution also happened defying the Constitution, he added.
Matin said if the constitution is followed, this interim government could not be formed. “So, everything we have come so far has been done, we did these violating the Constitution,” he said.
“We will amend it from time to time, if necessary. It is not a revealed book,” he said.
Justice Matin supported restoring the caretaker government system, but suggested the Chief Justice should be excluded from it for the sake of the judiciary.
Prof Gitiara Nasreen expresses disappointment over attack on women reform commission
Dhaka University’s Mass Communication and Journalism Professor and Media Reform Commission member Gitiara Nasreen expressed disappointment over the government's silence over the attack on the women commission.
“The interim authority formed the commission. When it is under attack, there is no clear response (from the government). That makes it hard for us to remain hopeful,” she said.
Noting that the women reform commission is being directly attacked, Gitiara Nasrin said there can be debate and questions about any commission report. “But it is being attacked. Unfortunately, we have not yet seen those in the government say something clearly about this that this cannot be done," she said.
Every political party should nominate 33pc women: Samina Lutfa
DU sociology professor Samina Lutfa said now there is a great opportunity for enhancing women participation in politics.
“Women have played a significant role from the front in every movement and they returned home to do household chores after the movement ended. But this time, it has been seen that the young women are keen to enter politics with great interest and desire,” she said.
She said now it is necessary to send this message to political parties that women want to enter politics, they must be given that opportunity. “Every political party should nominate 33 percent women candidates in the direct election. The participation of women within political parties must be ensured,” said Dr Samina Lutfa.
Unresolved reform issues to be made public too for transparency: Prof Ali Riaz
Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz on Sunday said the reform issues on which political parties failed to reach a consensus will also be made public to ensure transparency.
“There is a consensus among political parties on some basic issues. We will share these. And we will also share the issues on which consensus could not be reached, for the sake of transparency and to help people in the future decision-making process in political initiatives,” he said while addressing the discussion.
Referring to the dialogues with political parties, Ali Riaz said there has been a consensus among the parties on some fundamental matters, while agreement on other key issues still remains elusive. “Given the ideological differences among political parties, it is not realistic to expect agreement on everything,” he said.
He mentioned the Commission’s efforts to prepare a national charter and a comprehensive report that would reflect the range of opinions gathered through dialogues.
Riaz emphasised the importance of engaging civil society in the reform process, saying that it is also essential to reach a unity in the civil society alongside the political arena over the reform initiatives.
“Discussions with political parties alone are not sufficient for building national consensus. There needs to be a shared understanding within civil society as well. So,the active participation of civil society in reform processes is essential,” he said.
He said the Commission has held talks with 33 political parties in the last two months.
A total of 10 civil society members spoke at the discussion, while Consensus commission members Badiul Alam Majumdar, Iftekharuzzaman, Safar Raj Hossain, Md Ayub Miah and Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Monir Haider were present.
The Consensus Commission opened a series of talks with political parties on March 20 last to forge a national consensus on state reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government.
The Commission held talks with 33 parties and alliances including BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP) before concluding the first round of dialogues on May 19 last.
Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the Commission was tasked with shaping a unified national stance on critical reforms.