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Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government wants to bring an “inclusive” amendment to the Constitution after holding discussions with all sides.
He made the remarks at a press briefing on Tuesday (September 29) after the fourth meeting of the Special Committee on Constitutional Reform at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
At the meeting, a proposal was made to include the opposition in the constitutional amendment process. Salahuddin said the door for discussions remained open and urged the opposition to nominate representatives to the constitutional amendment committee and join the discussions.
“We want to bring a participatory, meaning inclusive, amendment after discussing it with everyone,” he said.
The minister said the committee would also hold discussions with various social forces, organisations and individuals associated with the July uprising. It would meet representatives of families of those who were subjected to enforced disappearance, killings and repression over the past 17 years, as well as families of those killed during the July uprising.
“We will try to understand the picture of society and gather opinions and suggestions by consulting people from almost all walks of life and their representatives,” he said.
The committee will then consult constitutional experts and prepare a report based on their recommendations. A bill will subsequently be placed before Parliament, where further discussions will take place both inside and outside the House, Salahuddin said.
“We believe that in this way we can adopt an acceptable amendment based on consensus,” he added.
The meeting also discussed the need for a bicameral parliament. Salahuddin said questions had been raised over whether a second chamber was necessary for Bangladesh, given that the country is a unitary state.
“However, we have agreed in the July National Charter to establish a bicameral parliament. We want to proceed accordingly,” he said.
The meeting also discussed decentralisation and independence of the judiciary, as well as the caretaker government system.
Regarding the caretaker system, Salahuddin said the committee had recorded the views presented by participants and sought proposals on its formation, procedure and structure.
“Whatever is considered appropriate will be considered by Parliament, and we will adopt that,” he said.
