Several issues of the constitution can be amended before the elections, said the head of the Constitution Reform Commission Prof Dr Ali Riaz.
"For a free and fair election, several issues of the constitution can definitely be amended before the elections, but it depends on the decision of the government and political parties," he told a press briefing at the commission office at Jatiya Sangsad here.
Prof Riaz said they have identified some problems and informed the government about this and hoped that the government will take a decision soon on this matter and make the necessary reforms.
“Therefore, it can be said that constitutional reform is definitely possible before the elections,” he added.
In response to a question, he said whether the constitution will be amended through a referendum or not is also a matter for the consideration of the government and political parties.
“Although there are differences of opinion among the political parties, I do believe that there is a consensus among them on the reform issue. Whatever is needed for political change must come from within the political parties and cannot be imposed from outside,” he observed.
The people’s opinion has never been taken in the past to amend the constitution and this led to many crises and complications, he noted.
Before the elections, he said there must be a consensus among the political parties on reforms and they must be committed to implementing those reforms after the elections.
He said it is not possible to stop authoritarianism by changing just one article or by one person or institution, therefore, in addition to strengthening the existing institutions, it has been recommended to form a National Constitutional Council (NCC) to ensure the accountability of the person in the post of Prime Minister.
He said this recommendation has been made mainly to ensure decentralization of power, accountability and establish balance.
Considering the composition of the population, it has been proposed to ensure 10 percent of youth members in political parties, he said adding the reason behind this is the idea of involving the youth in politics.
“How the constitution will be drafted is a matter for the government. They will decide after discussing with the political parties.
The youths have a very significant role in the democratic movement in Bangladesh. Therefore, there will be an opportunity for them to participate in lawmaking. This is just a proposal of the commission to the political parties,” he said.
Regarding the issue of participating in the elections at the age of 21, Prof Riaz said this is not related to education. “When you turn 21, you will be eligible to participate in the elections, but the political parties will do the work of nominating them as per their consideration," he said.
"We often hear comparisons between the past and present. What was done or not done before? It has never happened in the history of Bangladesh that 1,400 people lost their lives within the two and a half weeks,” he said.
The most powerful person in a political party violated all international laws and was involved in crimes against humanity; he said adding this has also never happened anywhere in the history of Bangladesh.
“And I am not saying this, the UN report says so. Even then, we cannot compare any incident in the past with the sacrifice of so many people."
Members of the commission were also present.
