Proposed appointment committee won't curtail PM’s power: Jamaat 

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher on Sunday said the proposed appointment committee for the constitutional and statutory bodies would not undermine the Prime Minister's power in any way.

"This committee will not interfere with the Prime Minister's authority. Instead, it will help maintain balance within the committee," he told reporters during a break in the talks with the National Consensus Commission.

The Jamaat leader remarked, apparently countering the argument of the BNP that opposed the proposed appointment committee.

The seventh day of its second-round talks between the Commission and political parties started around 11 am at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, with the Commission's Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz presiding.

Taher said there will be a balanced composition within the committee where there will be the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker, a representative of the judiciary and a member nominated by the President. "In it, both the government and the opposition will be represented," he said.

"Two-thirds of the political parties have already agreed on the composition of the committee. Only a few matters are still under discussion, but these can be settled with some small adjustments. We believe such a structure is essential for the country to ensure that qualified, neutral, and meritorious persons can serve in (key roles of) the administration, secretariat and parliament," he said.

Taher said they do not want any election without reforms. "Without reforms, we will again slide into the path of criminalisation of politics. People will lose interest in elections," he said.

About the issue of a proposed bicameral parliament, he said, "We are, in principle, in favour of a two-chamber legislature. But we want both chambers to reflect the people's vote. The Upper House should not be formed solely through MPs' votes."

The Jamaat leader expressed optimism that all political parties can unite and reach a consensus through a neutral process in the interest of the nation.