Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has submitted proposals for the reform of 10 crucial sectors of the state, including the election system, judiciary, and law enforcement.
The party clarified that these proposals are not intended for any elected government, but are part of their total of 41 recommendations, of which 10 significant ones have been presented to the interim government headed by Dr Yunus.
On Wednesday (9 October) the party's Naib-e-Ameer, Dr Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, presented these proposals under the banner of "State Reform Proposals" during a press conference in the afternoon.
According to Dr Taher, Jamaat-e-Islami seeks meaningful national elections only after fundamental reforms have been carried out.
He stressed that without reforms, elections would be ineffective and devoid of substance. Among the recommendations, he called for the abolition of all repressive laws, including the Digital Security Act, and the permanent reinstatement of the caretaker government system in the constitution. He also urged the cancellation of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) system, as it lacks transparency.
He further proposed that an individual should not serve as Prime Minister for more than two consecutive terms. Additionally, Jamaat-e-Islami has suggested raising the age limit for government job applications to 35 years for the next two years, followed by a permanent limit of 33 years, and setting the retirement age at 62 years.
The party's Ameer, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, along with other senior leaders, was also present during the event.
Jamaat-e-Islami outlined the following key proposals for reforms in various sectors of the state:
Judiciary and Legal Reform
- A clear and robust policy must be developed for the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary.
- Dual governance within the judiciary must be eliminated, and an effective separation between the judiciary and the executive branch should be enforced.
- A separate secretariat under the Supreme Court, independent of the Ministry of Law, should be established.
- Existing laws must be revised, and new ones should be formulated in harmony with public values to ensure justice.
- The Cyber Security Act-2023 and all other oppressive laws must be repealed.
- To reduce delays in justice, High Court benches should be established at the divisional level.
- A separate judicial commission should be formed to ensure the independence of the lower courts.
- An independent investigation committee should be formed to probe all criminal cases.
- Civil cases should be resolved within a maximum of five years, and criminal cases within three years.
Parliamentary Reform
- A Deputy Speaker must be nominated from the main opposition party.
- A shadow cabinet, led by the Leader of the Opposition, should be institutionalised.
- Adequate time should be allocated for opposition members in parliamentary debates.
Election System Reform
- Proportional Representation (PR) must be introduced in national elections.
- The caretaker government system should be permanently reinstated in the constitution to ensure free and fair elections.
- The EVM voting system, which has been rejected in many countries, must be abolished.
- No government employee should be allowed to contest any election within three years of resigning from their post.
- Local government elections should be conducted on a non-partisan basis.
- The political party registration system introduced in 2008, which contradicts the constitution, should be scrapped to ensure participatory elections.
- A search committee, comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Justice, should be formed to appoint the Election Commissioner and other commissioners.
- National elections should be held over multiple days.
- The National Identity (NID) system should be managed under the Election Commission.
Law Enforcement Reform
- The Police Act, enacted in 1861 during British rule, must be revised, and a policy guideline for the police must be established.
- An independent Police Commission should be formed for recruitment, transfer, promotion, and dismissal of police officers.
- All forms of political and personal influence in recruitment, transfer, promotion, and dismissal must be eliminated.
- Religious education and moral guidelines should be incorporated into police training manuals.
- The use of lethal weapons by the police should be discontinued.
- During interrogations under remand, the presence of the defendant’s lawyer must be ensured, and during the interrogation of female defendants, their guardian should be present.
- A Police Tribunal, composed of judicial members, should be established.
- Police duties and benefits must be improved.
- The 'Police Act' should be modernised through necessary amendments and revisions.
- RAB and other specialised forces must undergo necessary reforms to restore public confidence.
- Officers who have served in RAB for the past 15 and a half years must return to their respective forces and should not be reappointed to RAB.
- All forms of extrajudicial killings must be halted.
- A monitoring cell must be established to oversee RAB’s activities. Any member found involved in unlawful activities should be prosecuted by this cell.
Public Administration Reform
- Merit, competence, and integrity should be prioritised over lobbying, recommendations, and political allegiance in recruitment, transfer, and promotion in the civil service.
- Recruitment processes should be expedited, and applications for government jobs should be free of cost.
- The age limit for government job applications should be raised to 35 years for the next two years and then permanently set at 33 years, with the retirement age fixed at 62 years.
- Discriminatory age limits in job applications must be removed.
- Special measures must be put in place to curb corruption in all government offices, with necessary monitoring systems introduced.
- Inter-cadre discrimination in the civil service must be eliminated.
- The recruitment of those who were appointed through nepotism, corruption, or forgery during the previous Awami government must be annulled.
Anti-Corruption Measures
- Honest, just, competent, and qualified individuals must be appointed to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
- Accountability must be ensured across all sectors of the state.
- The ACC must be strengthened and given the independence to function impartially.
- A proper mechanism must be established to recover funds that were laundered abroad during the previous government's tenure.
- Ministry-based anti-corruption commissions must be formed.
- The ACC's jurisdiction, manpower, and scope should be expanded.
Constitutional Reform
- The constitution must ensure a balance of power between the President and the Prime Minister.
- No individual should serve as Prime Minister for more than two consecutive terms.
These proposals reflect Jamaat-e-Islami’s vision for comprehensive state reform to ensure justice, transparency, and good governance in Bangladesh.
