The Bangladesh Socialist Party disagreed to the proposed bicameral parliament while the Alliance of 12 Parties, though supporting the two-chamber parliament, recommended that the decision on it be taken by the next Jatiya Sangsad.
Leaders of the parties, while attending separate dialogues with the National Consensus Commission, expressed their concerns over various state reform proposals by the interim government-formed reform commissions.
The dialogues were held at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the capital Dhaka.
Earlier, on January 15, the Constitution Reform Commission recommended a bicameral parliament comprising a 400-member national assembly and a 105-member Senate.
BSP general secretary Modassher Hossain Babul, while briefing journalists after the meeting, said his party disagreed to the proposed bicameral parliament and recommended proportional representation, instead of the first-past-the-post method of election, for a 400-member unicameral parliament.
鈥榃e often observed that parties, even though they received 30 or 40 per cent of the total votes cast, became rulers. To make the parliament inclusive, proportional representation will ensure representation of the rest of the voters,鈥� Babul said.
To control the use of black money in elections, his party recommended that the Election Commission bear all the electoral expenditures, including the campaign costs of the contenders.
Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party chair Shahadat Hossen Selim, representing the Alliance of 12 Parties, said the parties agreed to the bicameral legislature system but strongly recommended that the final decision on the type of parliament should be taken by the next parliament.
鈥榃e have urged the National Consensus Commission only to focus on the electoral reforms for holding free and fair elections. The rest of its ambitious proposals, including on the constitutional reforms, would take time. Only a parliament should decide on the major reforms,鈥� Selim said.
The parties under the alliance criticised the NCC for inviting non-popular small parties to dialogues. Besides the Bangladesh LDP, the other parties in the alliance include Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), Jatiya Dal, Jamiyatul Ulamaye Islam, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party-Jagpa, Bangladesh Labour Party, Bangladesh Kalyan Party and Bangladesh Islamic Party.
During its dialogue, the BSP disagreed to any change in the constitutional name of Bangladesh, the fundamental principles, the Articles 8, 9,10 and 12. The particular articles explain the state鈥檚 fundamental principles, nationalism, socialism and freedom from exploitation, and secularism and freedom of religion.聽
The party also demanded that the Schedule Seven of the existing Constitution should remain intact.
The particular schedule is about the proclamation of the country鈥檚 independence which was signed at Mujibnagar on April 10, 1971.
The dialogues were chaired by NCC vice-chair Ali Riaz. Other NCC members and the chief adviser鈥檚 special assistant Monir Haidar were present.
