Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami believes that a proper environment for holding a fair national parliamentary election has not yet been created.
The party’s Nayeb-e-Ameer, Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, expressed this opinion Sunday during a dialogue with the National Consensus Commission held in the LD Hall of the National Parliament building.
The second round of talks between Jamaat and the National Consensus Commission began around 10:30am. The previous discussion took place on April 26, primarily focusing on the recommendations of the Constitution Reform Commission. A delegation of 11 members, led by Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, represented Jamaat-e-Islami.
On behalf of the National Consensus Commission, the discussion was led by Vice President Professor Ali Riaz, along with members Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Iftekharuzzaman, Public Administration Reform Commission member Mohammad Ayub Miah, and Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant (Consensus) Monir Haidar.
Speaking to journalists during a break in the meeting, Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said: “There are questions regarding the role of the Election Commission. In many cases, the Commission has failed to take appropriate steps. Personally, I believe the upcoming election still does not show signs of being entirely fair and proper.”
He added: “The election date hasn’t even been announced yet, and already there is a scramble to claim territory. That’s why I welcome the chairman of the Election Reform Committee.”
Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer further stated: “I believe we must establish a system where elections are fair and proper. Whatever needs to be done to ensure this must be done- even if it requires taking strict actions or implementing firm measures. Elections must be fair and acceptable.”
Regarding Jamaat’s proposals on the Anti-Corruption Commission, Taher said: “The Anti-Corruption Commission is often perceived as corrupt by the public. To address this, we have proposed forming a task force that would act as a watchdog over the Commission.”
Highlighting their proposal on decentralization of power, the Jamaat leader said: “There was strong discussion on decentralization. We stated that one person should not simultaneously hold the position of Prime Minister and the head of the ruling party. Many countries around the world follow this example.”
In response to a question about the formation of the National Constitutional Council (NCC), he said: “We agree in principle with the formation of the NCC. However, we proposed some amendments to the suggested format. Initially, they included the Chief Justice and the Head of State as members of the body, but we recommended keeping them out of it.”
