Consensus gap clouds reform drive
The country’s constitutional reform process is facing a growing test of political consensus, with eminent citizens, experts and other stakeholders repeatedly urging the government to bring the opposition into the process and ensure that proposed changes strengthen governance rather than revive the political patterns of the past.
Despite such calls, the Special Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Amendment, headed by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, is pressing ahead with its work.
Critics say the committee is largely following the position of the ruling BNP, while the opposition argues that constitutional changes must reflect the spirit of the July Charter and the outcome of the referendum.
The 11-party opposition alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami has repeatedly demanded that the constitution be amended in line with the July Charter and the referendum verdict. Opposition leaders have warned that failure to implement the decisions could trigger another political crisis.
The alliance recently organised two long marches to northern and southeastern districts to press for implementation of the July Charter and acceptance of the referendum result.
Opposition figures say the committee has so far shown little indication of changing its approach.
Committee explains referendum position
The committee says the referendum ordinance has not yet been converted into law, but maintains that it nevertheless “embraces” both the referendum and the July Charter.
It has said that a fresh referendum will be required on certain issues once the constitutional amendment bill is passed.
Speaking to reporters, Salahuddin said Article 142 of the constitution originally provided for referendums.
The provision was removed through the Fifteenth Amendment, but the High Court later ordered its restoration following the uprising.
“This will come into the constitution,” he said.
He said amendments involving the preamble, Article 48, Article 56 and certain other provisions would have to be put to a referendum after parliament passes the amendment bill but before it is signed by the president.
The entire amendment bill would not necessarily require a referendum, he said. However, because the preamble and some other provisions would be changed, those parts are expected to be put to a vote.
Civil society warns against old politics
Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of citizens’ group SUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance), told this correspondent that the country could return to its previous political crisis unless political parties make a fundamental and qualitative change in their conduct and thinking.
He said the aspiration for political and institutional change that emerged following the fall of the previous government had yet to be fully realised.
According to Majumdar, major political parties, including the BNP, are again following familiar political practices, which he said would not produce a fundamentally different outcome.
NCP leader attacks committee
Hasnat Abdullah, a National Citizen Party (NCP) leader and MP for Cumilla-4, has described the special committee as an “Amra-Mamura amendment committee”, a mocking phrase questioning its seriousness.
He made the remark on Sunday while speaking to journalists after a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Finance.
Hasnat alleged that some people who had previously campaigned strongly for reforms had been drawn into the establishment through offers of positions, chairs and ministries. He said the public would ultimately judge those involved.
On the referendum, he alleged that the government had accepted some elements of its outcome while leaving other key decisions unimplemented, which he said had weakened public confidence in the government.
Calls for inclusive reform
During an earlier closed-door consultation, editors and journalists urged the committee to involve opposition parties in the amendment process and build broad political consensus, according to several participants.
They noted that the special committee has no opposition members and argued that a more inclusive process would help prevent a recurrence of past political crises.
Participants also called for concrete reform measures rather than consultations being treated as a formality.
Their proposals included balancing the prime minister’s powers and, in some areas, strengthening the president’s role; appointing broadly acceptable figures to key constitutional bodies rather than leaving such appointments solely under government control; and taking effective measures to safeguard judicial independence.
Some also proposed preventing the same person from simultaneously holding the offices of prime minister and party chief.
Participants argued that the tendency of governments to retain control over all major institutions had produced poor outcomes in the past and should not continue.
They also called for a consensual framework for a caretaker government to oversee elections, while suggesting that the president should not head such a government and that the judiciary should remain outside the process.
The question of whether Bangladesh needs a bicameral parliament also came up. Those supporting an upper house suggested that its composition should not simply replicate the seat distribution of the lower house.
Across the recommendations, a common theme was the need to ensure effective representation of dissent and the opposition in the country’s constitutional and political system.
Fifth meeting held
At the committee’s fifth meeting on Sunday, representatives of working people who took part in the July uprising and members of small ethnic communities presented their views on the proposed constitutional amendments.
MPs Dipen Dewan, Anna Minz and Madhabi Marma attended the meeting on special invitation and placed their recommendations before the committee.
The committee asked participants with further specific proposals to submit them in writing as soon as possible. It assured them that all recommendations made during the meeting or submitted separately would be given due consideration in preparing its final report.
The committee said it would invite women leaders, constitutional experts, academics, Supreme Court judges and lawyers, other professionals and people associated with the July uprising to future meetings.
The broader challenge, however, remains whether the reform process can secure meaningful political consensus and produce institutions capable of supporting accountable governance, rather than becoming another source of political division.
