Special Correspondent: The AB Party has submitted a written opinion to the National Consensus Commission agreeing on 108 out of 166 proposed points, disagreeing on 32 points, and partially agreeing on 26 points. A team comprising Party Chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju, Vice Chairman Lt Colonel (Retd.) Didarul Alam, Joint General Secretaries Barrister Sani Abdul Haque, and Barrister Nasreen Sultana Mili submitted this written opinion on behalf of the party to the National Consensus Commission on Monday.
The opinion was received by the Chairman of the Constitution Reform Commission Dr. Ali Riaz, the Chairman of the Election Commission Reform Commission Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, and the Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor, Monir Haidar.
It is noteworthy that on March 6, 2025, the National Consensus Commission sent a spreadsheet with significant recommendations regarding the Constitution Reform Commission, Public Administration Reform Commission, Election System Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission, and Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission to the central office of the My Bangladesh Party (AB Party). In response, on March 17, 2025, AB Party submitted the completed spreadsheets at the National Consensus Commission’s office, as per the Commission’s instructions. These spreadsheets included a total of six proposals regarding the timeline and implementation methods for the reforms.
The first proposal is “Through an ordinance before the election.” According to this method, constitutional amendments are not acceptable under the current constitution. As per Article 93(1)(b) of the Constitution, the President’s power to issue ordinances does not extend to changing or repealing any provision of the constitution. Therefore, amending the constitution through an ordinance, without suspending or repealing the current constitution, is unconstitutional. However, if the current constitution is suspended and in line with the spirit of the July Revolution (Doctrine of Necessity), the proposed constitutional provisions can be changed/added/modified, and a new constitution can be written. In this regard, the government may seek further constitutional clarification from the Appellate Division through the Attorney General.
On the other hand, the AB Party believes that the remaining five proposals are difficult and time-consuming. In such a scenario, despite possible legal complexities, the AB Party has chosen the first proposal (“Through an ordinance before the election”) as the most feasible option for the timeline and implementation methods indicated in the spreadsheets.
Furthermore, in cases where constitutional amendments are not feasible, the AB Party believes that the first proposal (“Through an ordinance before the election”) is the most practical approach.
Assistant Propaganda Secretary Ripon Mahmud, Assistant Office Secretary Advocate Sharan Chowdhury, and Assistant Finance Secretary Abu Bakar Siddique were also present on behalf of the AB Party during the event.
