Bangladesh: National Consensus Commission drops plan to form National Constitution Council

Dhaka, June 25 (IANS) The National Consensus Commission of Bangladesh on Wednesday announced that it has withdrawn its proposal to form a National Constitutional Council (NCC) and has instead proposed the formation of a 'Constitutional and Statutory Institution Appointments Committee', local media reported.

The remarks were made by the Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, Ali Riaz, following a discussion between the National Consensus Commission and political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

Riaz said that, prioritising the opinion of the political parties, the National Consensus Commission has decided to drop the proposal of forming the NCC.

Reports suggest that the structure of the new proposed committee will not include the President and Chief Justice.

According to Riaz, the proposed committee will consist of seven members, with the Speaker of the Lower House as the Chairman.

The committee will include the Prime Minister, Speaker (Lower House), Speaker (Upper House), Leader of the Opposition, a representative of the opposition parties other than the main opposition party, a representative of the President (qualified by law), and a judge of the Appellate Division nominated by the Chief Justice.

Earlier, the initial proposal for the NCC was opposed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), stating that it would undermine the authority of the executive.

“The NCC has been proposed to be granted extensive constitutional powers. However, it lacks accountability. If an institution holds authority but functions without accountability, we as a democratic party, cannot support such an institution. Creating a separate body with these functions will cause an imbalance," Bangladesh's leading Bengali daily Prothom Alo quoted the BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed as saying.

The radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami supported the NCC, but suggested removing the President and Chief Justice from the council. Several other parties also reportedly proposed alternative names and structures for the NCC.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Riaz called on the political parties to be flexible on reform issues, emphasising that such cooperation is for the benefit of the nation in a bid to reach the desired objective.

"Please consider how we can all move forward, keeping the interests of the state and the nation above everything else. I've said time and again that you all have to make compromises (their party positions) here," he said.

Last week, the second phase of discussions between political parties and the National Consensus Commission began as political uncertainty and instability continued to grip Bangladesh.

The latest round of talks was aimed at completing the recommendations of various reform commissions set by the interim government and drafting the July Charter. The discussions focussed on continuing with the reform commission recommendations that were left unfinished during the first round, local media reported.

Earlier this month, Muhammad Yunus chaired the National Consensus Commission meeting, where there was a growing consensus among leaders of various political parties on the "urgency of timely elections".

The lack of a clear roadmap for reforms and holding elections has fuelled a major political unrest in Bangladesh as leaders from several political parties continue to question the Yunus-led government's controversial policies and poor performance of his dubious advisors.

As pressure increased on him, Yunus had earlier expressed his desire to resign out of frustration - a development that had created a huge buzz in political circles in the country.

--IANS

int/scor/as