In an exclusive interview with Stream, Jamaat-e-Islami Senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Prof Mujibur Rahman said on Saturday that the July National Charter should be represented in the Constitution.
The National Consensus Commission sent the final draft of the July National Charter 2025 to political parties earlier that day.
The commission requested the parties to review the document and submit their feedback on the wording, sentence structure, and other matters to the commission by 4:00pm on 20 August.
The following are the excerpts from the interview with the Jamaat senior Nayeb-e-Ameer.
Stream: What is Jamaat's reaction to the final draft of the July National Charter?
Mujibur: Our position is that the July Charter must be recognised by the constitution. We will hold a national seminar on the charter and its legal foundation on Sunday afternoon. A more coordinated statement will be presented there.
Stream: Why do you want constitutional legitimacy for the Charter?
Mujibur: The students, teachers, common people, and workers made sacrifices to overthrow a fascist government. It must be on record. If these are not given constitutional acknowledgement, a future government may deny [their sacrifices]. We want a constitutional foundation now so that no one can undermine or deny it.
The July Charter is not someone's private property. Unless the July uprising is firmly grounded, there is no guarantee that a future government will keep it.
Stream: Could you please elaborate on what you mean by "strong foundation"?
Prof Mujibur: By strong foundation, the Jamaat means that there should be a national agreement to incorporate the July Charter into the Constitution. Everyone needs to agree on this. Everyone should sign it.
The current government of advisers must do this, because the advisers are themselves a product of this movement. If it is not done, their own existence will also be at stake in the future. That is why we say it must be done now, not by the next government, no matter which party forms that government.
Stream: Does the current government have the authority to do this?
Mujibur: Certain parties do not want many of these things to happen. We have said that criminals must face trial. It is unclear what they want regarding the trials.
We say that reforms are needed. They also say this, but in vague terms. We believe without trials, reforms, and a proportional representation (PR) system, the upcoming election will not be fair.
We already see what some people are doing even before ascending to power, the only way to stop this is through a proportional representation system.
If there is a PR system, the commercialisation of politics will stop. It is because of this commercialisation that the [political parties that win elections] try to recover their election spending through terrorism and extortion.
They argue, "Since we spent money to come to power, we must recover it." We have seen this in the past. We believe the PR system is the only system that can stop terrorism, black money, and extortion.
Stream: The PR system is a new concept for Bangladesh. How can one be sure that people actually want it?
Mujibur: The government can hold a referendum to see what the people want. Many have already expressed support for the system in newspapers. Have you not read them? So, the question of whether the people want it does not arise.
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