The National Consensus Commission on Wednesday unveiled a revised proposal to replace the previously planned National Constitutional Council with a high-powered appointment committee for constitutional and statutory bodies.
The day鈥檚 discussion on the proposed committee and a separate agenda on limiting the prime minister鈥檚 term ended without any consensus, as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and some of its allies raised strong opposition against the NCC proposed committee. 聽
NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz presented the revised proposal while resuming the dialogue session at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
Delegates from 30 political parties participated in the session.聽
According to the revised proposal, the appointment committee would comprise the prime minister, speakers of the lower and upper houses, the leader of the opposition, a lawmaker from parties other than the ruling and the main opposition parties, and two representatives nominated respectively by the president and the chief justice. The speaker of the lower house will chair the committee.
Ali Riaz said that the changes came in response to feedback from parties.
He also clarified that the revised committee would not function during a caretaker government and oversee the appointment of the attorney general and the chiefs of armed forces.
The proposal drew criticism from BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed. He said that such a supra-governmental body would erode the executive authority of an elected government.
鈥業f the constitutional and the key statutory institutions function independently, there is no need to transfer executive power to another body,鈥� he said, preferring reforms of the existing appointment-related laws to transform the constitutional and statutory institutions to be independent, transparent and accountable.
The objection prompted the NCC vice-chair to question the logic behind the criticism. 鈥榃hy is it a concern if the appointment process is taken out of the prime minister鈥檚 sole control?鈥� he asked.
Neither the BNP nor any of its allies answered the NCC vice-chair鈥檚 question on the day.
Despite the BNP鈥檚 stance, most other political parties, including the left-leaning parties that earlier opposed the constitutional council, supported the proposed appointment committee.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami鈥檚 nayeb-e-ameer, Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, described the proposed appointment committee as effective than the existing 鈥榮earch committee鈥� system and argued that it would prevent undue influence by the prime minister.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam secretary general Monjurul Islam Afandi and Khelafat Majlish聽 secretary general Ahmed Abdul Kader strongly supported the proposed appointment committee.
Liberal Democratic Party secretary general Redwan Ahmed, Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz and Nagorik Oikya organising secretary Sakib Anwar backed the proposed appointment committee but stressed the need for clear definitions of its mandate, rules of business, and mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability.
Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Huq supported the revised plan but said that its composition still favoured the ruling party.
National Democratic Party secretary general Mominul Amin and Aam Janatar Dal president Mohammad Tarek Rahman also questioned the ruling party-favoured composition.
Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod presidium member Mushtuq Husain said that the proposed appointment committee must not make decisions on the basis of a simple majority.
He recommended that the opposition leader鈥檚 opinion should be considered with due importance.
Supporting the proposed committee, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish nayeb-e-ammer Yusuf Ashraf suggested the inclusion of the deputy speaker of the lower house in the proposed committee while Islami Andolan Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akon recommended that the proposed committee must appoint the chiefs of the armed forces and attorney general.
Bangladesh Labour Party chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran and National People鈥檚 Party chairman Fariduzzaman Farhad opposed the proposed appointment committee.
They recommended that the existing search committees should be made strong and independent.
Rashtra Sangskar Andolan media coordinator Syed Hasibuddin Hossain, National Citizen Party joint convener Zaved Rasin and Amar Bangladesh Party joint secretary general Suny Abdul Haque, questioned the BNP鈥檚 stance against the proposed appointment committee.
Several parties including Jamaat, NCP, AB Party and IAB, urged the BNP to reconsider its position on the proposed committee.
Ali Riaz noted that a majority of the parties had endorsed the proposed appointment committee with calls for better clarification, although the BNP and some other parties opposed it.
He then switched to the next agenda regarding the prime minister鈥檚 term limit.
BNP鈥檚 Salahuddin said that his party would support limiting the prime minister鈥檚 term to a maximum of 10 years if there was no constitutional council or appointment committee.
The NCC vice-chair later adjourned the session following no consensus on the discussed agenda.
The next session will be held at the same venue on June 29, said an NCC press release.