Constitutional change needs political consensus, not orders: Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad has stressed political unity and consensus in amending the constitution. He said that to protect democracy, the constitution must ensure an independent media, an independent judiciary, an independent Election Commission and a caretaker government system. Consensus among political parties is most needed to reach effective decisions on these issues, he said.
He made the remarks on Saturday (October 31) as chief guest at a discussion titled 'Constitutional crisis in post-independence Bangladesh and Baksal', the first episode of the 'Democratic Journey' seminar series organised by the July Uprising Memorial Museum at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.
Urging a solution through discussion instead of long marches on the streets over constitutional reform, the Home Minister said that if an upper house is formed, its powers, scope of work and jurisdiction must be determined through detailed discussion. For that, the opposition must join the talks of the constitution amendment committee. Complex constitutional issues cannot be resolved through long marches, he said.
On the formation and powers of an upper house, he said that if the upper house is formed through proportional representation (PR), what its powers and scope would be is a matter for discussion. Whether an unelected upper house can be given powers like an elected senate must also be considered, he said.
He added that if bills passed by the lower house are sent to the upper house for review or approval, the timeframe within which they must be disposed of also needs to be fixed. Otherwise, delays in lawmaking could create problems in running the state.
The Home Minister said what kinds of constitutional amendments would be sent to the upper house, by what majority and within how many days they must be passed, all need to be determined through discussion and consensus. A clear idea about the constitution's basic structure is also essential, he said, adding that changing the constitution by issuing orders could face questions.
On the political consensus of the three alliances, Salahuddin Ahmad said there are allegations that many elements of the three-alliance consensus were violated, but they have not yet received any written document on that. He said establishing a parliamentary system of government was part of that consensus, and it has been implemented.
On the caretaker government system, he said it was not accepted at first, but later, when it became a public demand, they accepted the caretaker government system.
