Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-President of the National Consensus Commission, has said that several significant proposals were made by the Constitutional Reform Commission to ensure a balance of power, and political consensus has already been reached on some of them.
He made the remarks at a press conference organised by the National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of the National Parliament Building on Friday (August 8).
He said the balance of power must not be confined to the President and the Prime Minister alone. Establishing opposition party leadership in key parliamentary committees would ensure an effective check and balance on the executive branch.
He also mentioned that consensus has been reached on limiting the Prime Minister's tenure to 10 years.
Most political parties do not want the Prime Minister to simultaneously hold the position of party chief.
Professor Riaz believes that if this position is implemented, it will be possible to prevent the concentration of power.
He said that changing only the constitutional structure will not be sufficient, as there is currently a major opportunity for political transformation in Bangladesh.
Regarding unauthorised interference by Members of Parliament in local government affairs, he said there is no legal basis for MPs to be involved in local government activities. A court verdict also exists in this regard. Among the 62 points agreed upon in preliminary discussions with political parties, there is a clear proposal to curb MPs' influence in the local government system.
When asked about the future of issues marked with ‘notes of dissent’ during the finalisation of the National Charter, Professor Riaz said expert opinions will be considered based on global experience and practical procedures. Simultaneously, the views of the majority of political parties should be taken into serious consideration.
He clarified that although some political parties have spoken of the next national election based on the National Charter, the Commission’s task is not related to the election.
He said the job of the Consensus Commission is to draft a National Charter through discussions with political parties. To implement the Charter, the Commission will hold successive dialogues with political parties and experts. However, these discussions will not be prolonged.
Justice Md Emdadul Haque, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr Md Ayub Miah, and the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haidar were present at the event.
It is worth noting that consensus has been reached on 62 points in the Commission’s initial dialogue with political parties. In the second round of discussions, out of 20 issues, there was no dissent on 11, while decisions were made on the remaining nine with notes of dissent.
MSK/
