BNP on Sunday submitted its proposal to the National Consensus on reforms, strongly opposing the inclusion of the July 2024 Uprising with same importance of the 1971 Liberation War in the preamble of the constitution.
The party also opposed other proposals, including changing the name of the state, curbing the powers of the Election Commission, and the formation of a national constitution council.
While the BNP agreed with the proposal to introduce a bicameral parliament and increase the number of reserved seats for women, it expressed differing views on the procedural aspects of these changes.
A three-member BNP delegation, led by Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, handed over the party's proposals to commission's Vice-Chairman Prof Dr Ali Riaz.
The BNP submitted written proposals regarding reforms in the Constitution, public administration, the judiciary, the electoral process and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
BNP submits proposals on reforms to Consensus Commission
Speaking to reporters later, Salahuddin Ahmed said the preamble of the constitution has not been explicitly mentioned in the commission’s proposal. The preamble is a vital part of the Constitution and the commission's suggestion to completely alter or revise it is essentially akin to rewriting it, he said.
The BNP leader specifically objected to the proposal to equate the events of the 1971 Liberation War and the 2024 mass uprising within the same context.
He said BNP considers this inappropriate and suggested that such matters should either be addressed separately or placed in the schedule section of the Constitution.
Salahuddin also said BNP supports the preamble as it existed prior to the 15th Amendment, rejecting the current proposal to change it.
Regarding the suggestion to alter the state’s name in the Constitution, he said the people of Bangladesh have long accepted the country's name through practice.
The BNP leader argued that changing the name would not bring any substantial benefits and thus the party remains firmly opposed to this alteration.
About the proposals on election-related reforms, Salahuddin said their party thinks the independence of the Election Commission (EC) will be hampered if some of the recommendations of the Election System Reform Commission are implemented.
He said BNP believes that the power to determine the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies and the national identity card service should remain in the hands of the Election Commission. "If the NID is handed over to a separate independent institution, then the Election Commission will have to rely on that institution repeatedly for all assistance related to the NID. We think it should remain under the Election Commission."
The BNP leader also said their party does not agree with the proposal to grant the parliamentary standing committee the power to hold the Election Commission accountable. "We do not think the Election Commission, as an independent constitutional institution, should be held accountable in that manner."
Salahuddin said their party feels the interim government should focus on the national election, not a referendum. "We think the national parliamentary election should be held now, not a referendum. If a political government is established democratically through national elections first, all discussions can take place, and decisions can be made in parliament."
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He also said their party does not believe a constituent assembly is necessary for the extensive reform of the constitution. "A constituent assembly is formed with representatives from various professions when a new state requires a constitution… our state is not new, and we already have a constitution, although its democratic character has been destroyed," the BNP leader said.
Since a new structure and democratic framework of the state needs to be built, he said they proposed significant amendments to the constitution.
“Those demanding a constituent assembly have also suggested 69 amendments. We’ve proposed fewer, but through discussion, we can reach a broad consensus and create a revised constitution. If they want to call it a new constitution, we have no objection. There’s no need for a constituent assembly," Salahuddin said.
Regarding the Anti-Corruption Commission reforms, he said there were about 20 proposals in the spreadsheet. "Out of those 20, we directly agreed with 11, and with 7 or 8, we agreed in principle with some comments. We opposed only one proposal."
About public administration reform, Salahuddin said there were proposals on 26 issues. "We agreed on nearly half of them, and for the remaining half, we have our opinions and comments. Through detailed discussions, we can reach a consensus on these matters."
About the Judiciary Reform Commission's proposals, he said their party agreed with almost all of the commission's proposals.
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"In our 31-point proposal, we recommended ensuring full independence of the judiciary, including transferring control of lower courts to the Supreme Court by amending Article 116 of the Constitution. We also support the proposal for an independent secretariat for the Supreme Court. Regarding financial management, we’ve suggested detailed discussions on future budget matters," the BNP leader said.
He said they have proposed establishing a lower judicial council based on the Supreme Judicial Council model to ensure accountability in lower courts.
Salahuddin said they opposed proposals, especially the formation of a National Constitutional Council with unelected individuals. "The core principle of the constitution is that the state should be governed by elected representatives, and this would harm that principle."