BNP submits feedback on state reform recommendations

The BNP has submitted its feedback on the recommendations made by five panels tasked with driving state reforms to the National Consensus Commission.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed handed over the party's opinions to the commission's Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz at the National Parliament on Sunday.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, Salahuddin said: "We have submitted both our feedback on the reports of the five reform commissions as well as the spreadsheet they provided us with our detailed opinions. We will submit detailed feedback on the remaining reports in a few days."

"We have agreed on most of the points where consensus was necessary. Wherever we had differing views, we submitted our opinions accordingly. Overall, we are cooperating fully."

On Mar 6, the consensus commission sent letters and spreadsheets to 37 political parties, including the BNP, seeking their feedback on 166 key recommendations related to the Constitution, electoral system, public administration, Anti-Corruption Commission, and judicial reforms. The parties were asked to submit their feedback by Mar 13.

As of Sunday, 16 political parties had submitted their responses.

Aside from the BNP, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) also submitted their feedback.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government amid a student-led mass uprising on Aug 5, an interim government was formed on Aug 8 under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus. The government formed several reform commissions, including the National Consensus Commission headed by the chief advisor.

'LIBERATION WAR AND JULY UPRISING CAN'T BE EQUATED'

Expressing disagreement with the manner in which the Constitutional Reform Commission was seeking to enshrine the July Uprising in the Constitution, Salahuddin said: "They seem to be putting the 2024 mass uprising up on the same pedestal as the 1971 Liberation War, which we believe is inappropriate. The original preamble should remain unchanged."

"The 2024 mass uprising could be mentioned elsewhere in the Constitution or added as a Fourth Schedule. There is no legitimacy crisis with the current government. It was formed constitutionally… under Article 106, the government took oath based on the Supreme Court’s advisory opinion."

He underlined the BNP's goal of a collective to rebuild the state system, reform major institutions, and establish a strong democratic framework to create a just and inclusive Bangladesh.

The BNP also rejected the idea of forming a new Constituent Assembly on the basis that Bangladesh was not a new state and already had a Constitution. The party favoured major amendments through parliamentary discussions, not by drafting a new Constitution.

On the proposal to introduce a referendum system to gauge public opinion on critical state decisions, Salahuddin said: "Article 142 of the Constitution already covers the provision of a referendum. If future amendments bring more provisions under its scope, a referendum can be held. But right now, what’s needed is a general election, not a referendum. A political government must be established first through elections, and then discussions can happen in parliament."

BNP AGAINST STATE NAME CHANGE

The party opposed the proposal to rename the country's constitutional name from "People's Republic of Bangladesh" to "People's Democracy of Bangladesh". "We see no need to change the country’s name, which has been accepted through long practice."

The BNP also disagreed with the proposal to add a new chapter on fundamental rights, warning it mixes civil-political rights with socio-economic rights, which depend on state capacity and governance.

The party rejected the proposal to form a National Constitutional Council with unelected members as it would "undermine the role of elected representatives and the core spirit of constitutional democracy".

NO TO BICAMERALISM

The BNP further opposed the proposed to form a bicameral legislature by creating an upper house in Parliament, but agreed with calls to increase the number of reserved seats for women from 50 to 100.

The BNP supported most proposals on judicial reforms, especially giving the Supreme Court full control over lower courts and establishing a separate council for judicial accountability.

Addressing electoral reform proposals, Salahuddin said: "Out of 27 proposals, most relate to constitutional amendments. We find that some of these are outside the scope of the Election Commission. We clarified this in our feedback on constitutional reforms."

'EC SHOULD BE INDEPENDENT'

The BNP also stressed the need to protect the Election Commission's independence. "We oppose proposals that curtail the Election Commission’s authority, such as transferring NID management to another body. NID services should stay under the EC. Similarly, delimitation authority must remain with the EC in line with the law and the Constitution. The government should correct the minor legal drafting error via an ordinance to enable the EC to demarcate constituencies."

"We oppose making the EC accountable to a parliamentary committee, which risks politicising it. Instead, accountability should remain under the Supreme Judicial Council as per Article 96."

The BNP agreed with most recommendations on reforms to the Anti-Corruption Commission. "We agreed with 11 of the 20 proposals and mostly agreed with 7 or 8, with comments. Only one proposal -- about changing the income tax law -- we opposed."