Staff Reporter:
National Consensus Commission (NCC) Vice Chairman Professor Dr. Ali Riaz yesterday said a clearly defined list of issues on which consensus was reached for state reform will be handed over to representa-tives of various political parties.
Speaking at the outset of the 22nd day of the second phase of discussions at the Foreign Service Acade-my’s Doel Hall in the capital, Ali Riaz emphasized the urgency of the reform process.
“The topics that have received unambiguous agreement will be compiled into a document and distributed to all party delegates by the afternoon,” he said, adding, “We must accelerate yesterday’s discussion so that a Charter of Consensus can be finalized and presented today.”
Ali Riaz noted that several political parties had already submitted their views on numerous issues, which were discussed in the morning session. The Commission’s internal evaluation continues, and it is ex-pected that final decisions will be shared by today.
He also asserted that some items had already reached a conclusion.
He said that while yesterday’s debate on women’s representation in Parliament remained incomplete, dis-cussion on presidential powers and responsibilities had not yet commenced. Proposals regarding the ex-pansion of citizens’ fundamental rights have been distributed separately, with requests for detailed feed-back, he added.
“In earlier dialogues, all parties were found to be in agreement on constitutional amendments-particularly in parts two and three – to enhance citizens’ rights,” he said.
“Five proposals previously submitted by the Commission were not fully agreed upon. However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) clearly specified which recommendations from the Reform Com-mission reports they agreed and opposed.”
He thanked BNP for documenting their feedback, saying it assisted the Commission in refining the third section of constitutional proposals.
Ali Riaz added that the Commission lacked the time and format for clause-by-clause discussion but had already shared the draft amendments.
He urged political representatives to submit any objections or revisions by today morning.
According to Commission sources, agenda includes- Parliamentary representation for women, Public Service Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, Ombudsman ap-pointment procedures, Article 48(3) – Presidential powers and responsibilities, Presidential election pro-cess, Electoral college, Structure and election of the upper house, Expansion of citizen rights, and Prin-ciples of governance.
Since the topic of presidential powers was introduced for the first time yesterday, Ali Riaz called upon delegates to resolve outstanding items through brief and focused discussion.
Representatives from 30 political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gonosonghoti Andolon, Com-munist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers Party, Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party joined the dis-cussion.
Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Monir Haider moderated the discussion while Commission mem-bers – Justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain and Dr. Md. Aiyub Mia were present.
The discussion is being broadcast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV).
