Constitution amendment bill may come in January parliamentary session

Bangla Press Desk:  The much-talked-about constitution amendment bill may be moved in parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) in its New Year session, says Salahuddin Ahmed, the head of parliamentary special body dealing with the changes in Bangladesh's basic law.

'Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah', which was introduced in the preamble and as a basic principle of state policy in Article 8 by late President Ziaur Rahman, will be brought back.

"This is a commitment in our manifesto," says the home minister, who leads the Constitution Amendment Committee.

Changes will be brought in several articles, including the preamble to the constitution.

"Prior to the President's approval, a referendum will be constitutionally mandatory for these changes," he said.

He made these remarks while briefing journalists Sunday following the third meeting of the Constitutional Amendment Committee at the Media Centre of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Earlier in the day, the committee exchanged views with editors of national dailies and senior journalists.

Editors of national dailies, representatives of various journalist forums, and prominent journalists were invited.

They provided detailed opinions and proposals regarding the preamble, schedules, and the "July National Charter". Many will submit written proposals. These proposals and discussions will be compiled in the form of a report and a booklet.

In response to a question about the opposition's participation in the constitutional amendment, he said, "Many editors have proposed the participation of opposition members. We also agree with this. We have repeatedly invited them and continue to do so. If they join the committee, we will welcome them. We do not want any divisions among us; we want to work on the basis of consensus."

Regarding the referendum, Salahuddin Ahmed said following the July-August student-mass uprising, the 15th Amendment of the Constitution was annulled by a Supreme Court verdict, which revived Article 142.

Certain changes might be brought to the constitution, such as the Preamble and Articles 8, 48, 56, and 142. In cases of such changes, the public must hold a referendum before the President's signature. This constitutional referendum will take place after the passage of the bill.

Regarding the proposal for a referendum to safeguard the caretaker  government system, he said a proposal has been put forward by the BNP.

A provision has been suggested to ensure that any future parliament cannot easily abolish the caretaker-government system-for which they struggled for 17 years-by requiring a referendum for amendments to those relevant articles.

Speaking on priorities in constitutional amendment, the Home Minister said, "Our priority is the July National Charter. However, we will also incorporate matters that received a mandate according to our election manifesto."

The committee convener said that a strong effort is underway to present the report of the Constitutional Amendment Committee to parliament within December. Based on that report, a bill will come from the Ministry of Law. It is expected that the bill may be introduced in parliament in the January session (the first session of the year).

Afterwards, following discussions and amendments to the bill, it will be finalised through a referendum upon passage.

Finally, through the media and editors, the Home Minister once again extended a formal invitation to opposition parties to participate in this constitutional-amendment process.

In the meeting, editors of national dailies and senior Journalists suggested that the government ensure participation of opposition party in constitutional- amendment process.

They also opined for referendum for amending the constitution, strengthening the parliamentary standing committees empowering them to hold ministers and MPs to account.

This was the third round of meetings by the special committee to seek the opinions of media personalities regarding the constitutional amendment.

On July 13, a 12-member special committee on constitutional amendment was formed in the National Parliament, headed by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

Although the initial proposal was to include five representatives from the opposition, they did not submit any names. Later, the 12-member committee was formed as it is.

The committee is currently holding dialogues with various stakeholders, including political parties.