The Constitution Reform Commission has also proposed a bicameral House
Dhaka, Jan 15: The Constitution Reform Commission on Wednesday submitted its report to interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, proposing the replacement of the state principles of secularism, socialism and nationalism.
The commission set up by the Yunus administration, after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister following a mass agitation led by students, also proposed a bicameral parliament for the country and a two-term limit on a premier’s tenure.
The three principles are among the four enshrined as “fundamental principles of state policy” in the country’s constitution. Under the new proposals, only one — “democracy”, remains unchanged.
“We are proposing five state principles — equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism, and democracy — for reflection of the great ideals of the 1971 Liberation War and the people’s aspiration during the 2024 mass upsurge,” commission chairman Ali Riaz said in a video statement.
The report kept “democracy” alone in the constitution’s preamble alongside the four new principles as it presented the report to Yunus.
The chief advisor’s press wing in a statement quoted Riaz as saying the commission recommended the formation of a bicameral parliament with a lower house named the National Assembly and an upper house named the Senate with 105 and 400 seats respectively.
The report suggested both the proposed houses will have a term of four years instead of the existing five-year term of the parliament.
The commission suggested the lower house be based on majority representation and the upper one on proportional representation.
The commission believes that one of the main reasons the “autocratic authoritarianism Bangladesh” faced over the past 16 years was because of the absence of an institutional power balance and concentration of power in the prime minister’s office.
It recommended a two-term limit on the premier’s tenure.
The report said, therefore, it proposed the creation of a constitutional body named the National Constitutional Council to establish a system of checks and balances between the three branches of the state and the two executive positions – the prime minister and the president.
This council would include the president, the chief justice, the prime minister and the leader of the opposition (both elected through the parliament), speakers of both houses, deputy speakers from the opposition, and a representative of other parties.
The report said the commission believes this institution would ensure transparency and accountability in the appointment process as a constitutional body.
Riaz said the commission proposed the reintroduction of the referendum system for amending the constitution. Under the existing provisions, the parliament on its own can amend the constitution with a two-thirds majority. (PTI)