Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman has alleged that the government has failed to implement the constitutional-reform mandate endorsed by the people through a referendum, despite a Reform Charter agreed upon by political parties after prolonged post-uprising consultations.
He warns that if parliament does not provide an opportunity for comprehensive constitutional reform, the opposition will take the issue directly to the people and continue its movement to implement the public mandate.
Speaking at a press briefing at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday afternoon, Dr Shafiqur, also Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, reminded that following the political change of 2024, the interim government formed the National Consensus Commission. After extensive discussions, 31 political organisations reached an agreement on a Reform Charter. According to him, all parties except the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) signed on the charter.
He notes that there had been a political consensus to hold the national election and the referendum on the same day, with all parties committing to accepting the outcome of the referendum. Based on the referendum results, a Reform Council was to be established. Members of Parliament were also expected to take an oath as members of the Reform Council in addition to their oath as lawmakers.
The opposition leader claims that while opposition MPs took both oaths, members of the ruling party took only the oath of office as Members of Parliament and declined to be sworn in as members of the Reform Council by arguing that such a provision does not exist in the Constitution.
Rejecting that justification, Dr Shafiqur says many significant political arrangements in Bangladesh had previously been implemented despite not being explicitly provided for in the Constitution. He cites the formation of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, as well as the country's first, second, and third national referendums. "All were carried out in response to national necessity."
He further claims that approximately 68.6 percent of voters supported constitutional reform in the referendum. "Ignoring that verdict has created a new political crisis."
Dr Shafiqur mentions that the matter was raised in parliament but was not given the opportunity for meaningful debate. Although the issue was later discussed following a formal notice, no decision or ruling was delivered. "If we are denied the opportunity in parliament, we will go to people's parliament," he says. "We will not retreat from the promise we made to the people. Our movement will continue based on the people's demands."
Criticizing the government's initiative to establish a Constitutional Amendment Commission, he argues that the people had voted for constitutional reform, not merely constitutional amendments. There is a fundamental difference between the two, he says, explaining that constitutional amendments are subject to judicial review whereas reforms carried out on the basis of a direct public mandate are not.
Referring to the abolition of the caretaker government system and the decentralization of High Court benches, he notes that several constitutional amendments had previously been struck down by court rulings.
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