The National Citizen Party (NCP) has called for the abolition of the four fundamental principles outlined in Bangladesh’s original 1972 Constitution, arguing that they no longer align with the country’s current political spirit.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, following a dialogue with the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, NCP representatives made their positions clear.
The party also expressed flexibility on limiting the prime minister’s tenure in the interest of building national consensus.
Dr Tasnim Jara, senior joint member secretary of the NCP, said: “We proposed that an individual should be allowed to take the oath as prime minister a maximum of twice. However, if there is consensus around a 10-year cap or another fixed duration, we are open to flexibility.”
She added that if the prime minister’s tenure is to be limited, related issues such as the establishment of an upper house, proportional representation, and the National Consensus Council (NCC) must also be discussed.
“Otherwise, executive power will be significantly reduced. Our position is that appointments to constitutional bodies like the NCC must be completely neutral, similar to how the Election Commission is expected to function.”
Tasnim argued that constitutional institutions meant to hold the prime minister accountable should be appointed independently of the executive.
“If the prime minister is not involved in those appointments, it does not diminish power unfairly—rather, it ensures proper jurisdiction,” she said.
On the question of state principles, NCP Joint Member Secretary Javed Russell said the party firmly opposes the "Mujibist principles" enshrined in the 1972 Constitution.
“We clearly said in the discussion that these four principles should be abolished,” he said.
He acknowledged that some parties disagreed due to ideological commitments.
The NCP responded by saying that there is no point in discussions that run counter to the spirit of the July uprising, Russell added.
