NN Online:
Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has acknowledged that a unanimous agreement among all political parties on every state reform issue is unlikely. However, he emphasized the commission’s continued efforts to prevent misunderstandings and build as much common ground as possible.
“We are doing our best to ensure the reform proposals reflect your views and expectations,” said Dr Riaz during the second phase of discussions with political parties on the 10th day of the dialogue, held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
Representatives from several political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, participated in the session, chaired by Dr Riaz.
Key commission members present included Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury (Public Administration Reform Commission), Safar Raj Hossain (Police Reform Commission), Badiul Alam Majumdar (Electoral System Reform Commission), Justice Emdadul Hoque (Judicial Reform Commission), and Dr Iftekharuzzaman (Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission).
Dr Riaz reiterated that total consensus is not a prerequisite for progress. “I’ve made it clear in separate meetings with parties—we will not agree on everything. That’s expected,” he said.
As an example, he noted that the proposal for a National Constitutional Commission (NCC) faced resistance from most parties. Rather than discarding it entirely, the commission presented a revised version. “Everyone is pushing for structural reforms, and we are aligning with that direction,” he added.
Regarding foundational principles, Dr Riaz said the initial draft included pluralism, but due to objections, it was removed from the revised version. Likewise, a proposal from the Public Administration Reform Commission to divide the country into four provinces failed to gain consensus and was excluded from the current discussions.
