Staff Reporter:
The BNP aims to build a Bangladesh where no individual – not even the prime minister (PM) – will be able to abuse power with impunity, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman said on Thursday.
“Our common goal is to rebuild Bangladesh where fascist ideologies can never flourish and a fascist dictatorship can never rise again,” he said at a seminar titled “31-Point Structural Reforms of the State and Citizens’ Perspectives”, organised at a hotel in the capital on Thursday. Tarique Rahman joined the programme virtually from London.
Top leaders of the BNP and other political parties, civil society members and foreign envoys of 38 different countries and international organisations stationed in Dhaka, including the United States, the UK, European Union, United Nations, India, China, Russia, Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, were present at the seminar.
“Accountability and transparency will be ensured at every level of the government – from the highest offices to the grassroots, so that we can reaffirm that no one is above the law,” said Tarique Rahman.
The BNP leader said his party proposes amending the constitution to limit the tenure of any individual as prime minister to two consecutive terms.
“We want to balance power among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. To ensure representation and participation of the learned and accomplished professionals in governance, we propose introducing a bicameral parliamentary system,” he said.
Tarique Rahman also said he believes that politics is not solely about securing power; rather, it is a tool for facilitating people’s true development and reflecting people’s inner aspirations.
“Always being respectful to our national heritage and past achievements, our vision must be future-oriented, not buried in the past. We cannot afford to be bound by conventional governance; we must embrace modernisation and innovation,” said the acting BNP chairman.
The BNP leader said his party wants an independent and sovereign Bangladesh where people’s rights and freedoms are protected.
He said if the BNP forms government through a public mandate, its politics will align with the 31-point outline proposed for structural reforms, rooted in public empowerment, engagement, and accountability. “The foundation of our governance will be the rule of law, human rights, and freedom of expression.”
About businesses, he said the party will create the right business atmosphere, where local and international private capital will flow in to work hand-in-hand with the country’s public sector to drive national growth and productivity.
“We will establish a fair business climate, prevent institutional decay and politicisation across all levels of the Bangladeshi society,” he said.
Tarique Rahman further said his party will restore freedom of expression for all citizens, regardless of political or organisational affiliation and the media will again have the freedom to “speak truth to power,” to critique the government openly, through investigative reports, political talk shows, comedies and satires.
Moreover, they will make every effort to eliminate the climate of fear while they will eliminate all the tools of suppression used by the fascist Awami League regime, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and various other forms of gross human rights violations.
“Following the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we will work to protect the rights and basic freedoms of every citizen,” he added.
He said the BNP is working to change the political culture after the fall of the fascist regime on 5 August. They took actions against any wrongdoing of their party and their activists burdened with false cases stood by the people and safeguarded the nation.
Regarding the minority community, he said in an independent Bangladesh, the BNP does not view anyone as a so-called “minority”. The BNP holds a policy of ensuring equal rights and security for all citizens.
About state reforms, Tarique Rahman said their 31-point proposal encapsulates all those popular ideas for reform, currently being discussed nationwide in various forums.
Reform is not merely a revision of a few constitutional paragraphs; rather, it should guarantee the safety and welfare of all citizens.
The BNP leader said his party aims to bring forward-looking reforms across healthcare, education, agriculture, energy, climate, and the economy. Besides, they also want to develop a skilled workforce, expand export-oriented industries, and boost national remittances to establish a knowledge-based society.
“We want to ensure meritocracy at every layer of the nation-building process,” he added.
The BNP leader also emphasised that over the past 16 years, and especially through the uprising in July and August, everyone who has fought against fascism – every individual, political party, organisation, and group championing democracy – has made sacrifices worthy of full recognition.
“Our shared priority is to establish a truly democratic Bangladesh by honouring the contributions of all citizens, restoring our deprived voting rights, and securing a public mandate,” he said.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir chaired the programme while Shama Obayed and Farzana Sharmin anchored it.
Referendum system will be restored, says BNP
The BNP’s 31-point state reform formula said, “All controversial and undemocratic amendments and changes to the Constitution will be revoked through amendment to the Constitution after proper review to be recommended by the Constitution Reform Commission. The referendum system will be restored in the Constitution.”
The reform outline also says an inclusive and egalitarian “Rainbow Nation”, as opposed to the spirit of vengeance, will be established.
“To achieve this, a new forward-looking ‘Social Contract’ is a must through a continuous dialogue, exchange of views and mutual understanding. A National Reconciliation Commission will be formed in this regard,” the reform outline said.
Unveiling the 31-point reform outline on 13 July 2023, the party said it wants to implement the reform proposals to turn the country into a democratic state in the true sense. The 31-point charter is the updated version of the party’s previously declared 27-point proposal.
Earlier on 19 December 2022, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman announced the 27-point state reform agenda.
The charter titled “An Outline of the Structural Reforms of the State” has been prepared in line with the 19-point ideal of party founder Ziaur Rahman and the party’s “Vision 2030”, presented by its Chairperson Khaleda Zia in 2017.
At the BNP’s Sixth National Council in 2016, Khaleda Zia had pledged to establish a bicameral parliament and create an upper house, aiming to decentralise power and strengthen parliamentary democracy.
