The BNP has informed the National Consensus Commission that it is committed to bringing a balance between the powers of the president and the prime minister.
BNP leaders joined the third round of discussions with the commission in the LD Hall of parliament on Tuesday morning.
However, the party disagreed with the commission’s proposal that the same individual cannot simultaneously serve as party chief and leader of the House.
Speaking to journalists during a break at around 2pm, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed shared the developments. The discussion resumed after the break and continued until 7pm.
The meeting, moderated by the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider, saw the presence of commission Vice President Ali Riaz, members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar, and Iftekharuzzaman.
The BNP delegation was led by Salahuddin and included Ismail Zabihullah (advisory council member to the chairperson), Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kajol, and former secretary Abu M Moniruzzaman Khan.
Salahuddin told reporters: “Balancing the powers of the president and prime minister is a BNP commitment. We have proposed expanding the president’s powers. We will outline which powers can be delegated to the president and what decisions he can make without consulting the prime minister. However, we are not disclosing those details just yet.”
Rejecting the proposal that the same person cannot be both party chief and leader of the House, he said: “We discussed the issue of not having one person serve as prime minister, party chief, and leader of the House. While the prime minister is chosen by the majority party in Parliament, it is not mandatory that the party's chief must be the prime minister. But the option should remain open.”
He added: “The prime minister, by tradition, is the leader of the House. Though in some countries, these are separate roles… there the leader of the House does not hold executive power. In Bangladesh, the prime minister and the leader of the House are almost inseparable.”
Commission’s reform proposals
Salahuddin noted that BNP agrees with most of the commission’s reform proposals. “The commission has referred to reverting certain aspects of the Constitution to their pre-8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, and 15th amendment states. The BNP agrees with abolishing state secularism. We also support the reintroduction of equality, human dignity, and social justice as fundamental rights.”
He added: “Necessity makes law. The security of the state is the highest law. Keeping in mind the doctrine of necessity, it is wise to retain certain options. Otherwise, the state may end up in the hands of someone unfit, which would not be beneficial for the country.”
When asked about the commission’s proposal—discussed in Sunday’s meeting—that a person may serve as prime minister for two terms, then take a break before serving again, Salahuddin said: “Wait for an alternative proposal. The commission has not formally submitted this recommendation yet.”
On the caretaker government issue, Salahuddin said: “The BNP agrees that there should be 14 advisers. These advisers will carry out routine responsibilities. If the chief adviser resigns, a new one will be nominated from among the advisers. The BNP also agrees with the provisions concerning local government institutions and supports the proposal to not allocate party symbols for local elections.”
Salahuddin further said: “The BNP agrees with forming a bicameral legislature. The upper house will be called the Senate, and the lower house will remain the Jatiya Sangsad. Of the 400 seats in the lower house, 100 will be reserved for women. We support this, though we differ on the method of election for these reserved seats.”
At the beginning of the meeting, commission Vice President Ali Riaz said: “There are agreements on many of the reform proposals, and disagreements on some. The BNP has said that for several matters, they will consult with their policymakers and inform us of their position later.”
Ali Riaz also mentioned that all matters discussed with political parties are reported to commission Chairman Muhammad Yunus. “He is briefed on everything and is providing guidance.”
At the end of the meeting in the evening, Salahuddin said: “We have communicated our proposals to the commission. While we disagreed on several issues, we reached consensus on many others. As far as we are concerned, the discussions are concluded. If the commission believes further dialogue is necessary, they may invite us again. We are open to continuing discussions.”
