Chief Advisor to announce roadmap for reform after dialogue: Special Assistant Mahfuz

 Chief Adviser, or CA, of the interim government Dr Muhammad Yunus will roll out a roadmap of his government after the dialogue with the political parties, said Special Assistant to the CA Mahfuz Alam on Saturday.

The roadmap will incorporate reform plans of the government through which transfer of power to an elected government will be ensured, he told a briefing held after the CA’s meetings with 35 political parties.

The CA told the political parties that a great opportunity has emerged in front of the country to carry out a drastic and long-term reform, and all should explore this opportunity.

He said the dialogue was held to allay the confusion regarding the reform roadmap of the government.

The CA underscored the need for creating a national consensus on the reform process, he added.

Reform of the constitution, civil administration, education policy, credible elections, trials of the perpetrators of the mass killings and atrocities during the student movement were the main talking points in the meetings.

There are divergences of opinions regarding the constitutional reform, as some proposed rewriting of the constitution and some others opined for amendments to the present constitution, Mr Mahfuz said.

About the process of constitutional reform in the absence of the parliament, he said that there were several recommendations.

Many suggested the formation of a constituent assembly; many proposed repealing some previous amendments.

But these will be finalised after further discussions, he added.

Press Secretary to the CA Shafiqul Alam said that total reform of the education and judiciary were also widely discussed in the meeting.

Responding to a question, he said no political party proposed to fix a timeline for the election, and all of them stressed the need for conducting reforms before holding credible polls.

Jatiya Party, Gono Forum, Liberal Democratic Party, Seven Islamic Parties, 12 pro-nationalist parties, and another 12 parties, Bangladesh JSD, met the CA separately at the State Guest House Jamuna for discussions on the reform process.

Earlier, after the meeting with the CA, Ameer of the Islamic Andolon Bangladesh Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said they had recommended overhauling of the administration to ensure a credible and fair election.

“We told the CA that people in the civil service and police who helped the previous government in holding sham elections should be brought to the book through an independent commission,” he told the media after the meeting.

Responding to a question, he said that the interim government should hold elections as soon as possible.

But right now we can’t fix a deadline, he added.

Six Islamic parties, including Khelafat e Majlish, Hefajat-e-islam, Nizam-e-Islam, Khelafat Andolon, Jamiyat Ulema Islam, and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, recommended including provisions so that no person can be prime minister for more than two terms.

They also urged the interim government to take steps so that no anti Islamic law can be introduced in the country.

“We have also placed a demand for withdrawal of all cases filed against the members of Hefajat-e-Islam” secretary general of Khelafat Majlish, Maulana Mamunul Huq.

The Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Col Rtd Oli Ahmed, submitted 83 reform proposals in their meeting with the CA.

These proposals aimed to ensure a transparent and peaceful Bangladesh, Mr Oli told reporters after the meeting.

“The country should get rid of the culture of extortion and corruption. Still people are not getting justice in the courts,"  he mentioned.

Responding to a question, he said that the Awami League should be banned for their heinous crimes like mass murder.

Banning the AL is imperative; otherwise, there will be the possibility of the rebirth of fascism, he opined.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com