Election must be held on time, reforms must be implemented: Akhter

NN ONLINE:

Member Secretary of National Citizen Party (NCP) Akhter Hussain today said the upcoming national election must be held on time alongside full implementation of the agreed reforms, warning that any attempt to derail either would endanger the country’s stability.

“We see a tendency to derail both the reform process and the election,” he told a press conference at the party’s Bangla Motor office here, adding that  NCP stands firmly for peace, order and stability, and will not side with any  group attempting to sabotage the reform process or the polls.

Akhter said the Consensus Commission had already built political agreement  among most parties and submitted recommendations to the government for  constitutional reforms under the July Charter. “Despite these discussions and consensus, the government has not yet issued  the July Charter Implementation Order,” he said.

Akhter said the government were trying to shift responsibility to political  parties instead of taking initiative themselves. “By delaying reforms, the  government is ignoring the mandate it received from the people’s uprising,”  he added.

The NCP leader urged the interim government to promptly issue the July  Charter Implementation Order based on the Consensus Commission’s first  proposal – granting structural authority to the next parliament to function  as a Constitutional Reform Council and incorporating the people’s mandate  through a binding referendum. He said that any attempt by a section within the government to create a  parallel commission or bypass the agreed recommendations would “jeopardize  the upcoming election.”

“The people of Bangladesh have sacrificed their blood and lives for reform. There is no alternative to its implementation,”  “The government must act responsibly, respect the people’s democratic aspirations, and take immediate steps to implement the July Charter,” Hussain said.

Reaffirming his party’s stance, Akhter added, “The NCP believes all political parties must remain united for the sake of Bangladesh’s sovereignty, stability, and democratic future.”
NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary and senior leaders of the party were
also present at the press conference.