NCC working with experts to find solutions

The National Consensus Commission (NCC) is working with legal and constitutional experts on the draft July Charter to find solutions, including on agreements made with notes of dissent from political parties.
The draft has already been sent to the parties, and the NCC has asked them to submit their responses by the afternoon of August 20 (tomorrow).
After getting their responses and experts' feedback, the commission will sit with the parties again to give the final nod.
It has started holding meetings with experts following the disagreement among the parties, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and National Citizen Party (NCP), on the implementation of the charter.
The draft charter reads that the "proposals/recommendations of the July National Charter 2025 that are considered immediately implementable will be fully implemented by the government and other relevant authorities before the next national parliamentary elections without any delay."
The BNP, however, spoke in favour of passing the charter after the next parliamentary election.
Its senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed told the media that the parliament is the right place to approve any agreement that deals with the people, and it has the right to do so.
The party would decide on the draft charter after holding a standing committee meeting, he said.
Jamaat, however, has taken the opposite stance. It held a rally demanding immediate implementation of the charter and that the next election be held based on the agreement on the charter.
NCP has taken a similar position.
NCC Vice-Chairman Prof Ali Riaz told The Financial Express the commission is discussing three key issues - how to make the national charter legally binding, its implementation, and notes of dissent - with experts.
Speaking about notes of dissent, he said, "If 29 parties out of 30 agreed on an issue, we should not cancel it. I mean the overwhelming majority should not be overlooked, and it is not right to do so.
Discussions with the parties will start next week.
"The discussions would not be long. We can suggest that we would not discuss further the issues that we have already reached consensus on," Prof Riaz explained.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman visited the NCC and had a discussion, he said.
"We are doing our best. However, we are not taking any side. Rather, we are helping the government and the parties reach agreements," he said.
"We are suggesting that the agreements that can be implemented immediately should be implemented, particularly before the next general election," he added.
Earlier, during the two-month-long discussions in two phases with the parties, the NCC reached consensus on 84 issues.
Some 15 major issues were agreed on with notes of dissent, and those will be mentioned in the charter.
In the second phase, out of 20 issues, consensus was reached on nine fundamental reform proposals with notes of dissent.
Of the total 84 issues, those agreed on with notes of dissent are fundamental principles of the state, presidential election method, power and responsibilities of the president, provision for the prime minister to hold multiple positions, caretaker government system, PR in the upper house, responsibilities and roles of the upper house, provision of women's seats, appointment of ombudsman, appointment to Public Service Commission, appointment of comptroller and auditor general, and appointment to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

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