The BNP walked out of the National Consensus Commission's dialogue for a short time and then rejoined the discussion.
The party's Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said, "The BNP is fully cooperating with the constitutional amendment initiative to ensure that dictatorship or fascism can never arise again in the country."
However, if the executive branch's authority is undermined, the balance in governance will be ruined, he told reporters on Monday.
He made these remarks after walking out of the meeting on the 20th day of the second phase of the commission's dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
According to sources, around 11:30am, the commission's vice chairman, Professor Ali Riaz, presented a proposal for discussion regarding the provisions for appointing members to the Public Service Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General's Office, and the Ombudsman. At that time, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that the party would not take part in the discussion. He then walked out of the meeting.
Prof Riaz later said the BNP had earlier stated it would not participate in discussions regarding appointments to these four institutions.
"The commission cannot drop an agenda item because of just one party. However, if everyone feels that the discussion will not be effective without the presence of a major party, the commission will take the matter into consideration," he added.
"It was our proposal that no one should be allowed to serve as prime minister for more than 10 years. It has been accepted. We also proposed the formation of an independent search committee to form the Election Commission, which would include representatives from the ruling party, the opposition, and the judiciary. That too has been accepted," said Salahuddin while talking to reporters.
"It was us who proposed that if a caretaker government [system] is reinstated, then any subsequent amendment passed by the parliament must be subject to a referendum before it is approved by the president. Adoption of this would be a significant step towards [securing] the country's future political stability," the BNP leader added.
Expressing concerns over the authority of the executive branch, he said, "The executive branch is accountable not only to the parliament but also to the people. But, responsibility and accountability without authority is not enough to run the state effectively.
"The executive branch must be strong, not weak, to meet the expectations of the people."
The BNP's participation in the dialogue is constructive. If there are fundamental disagreements, abstaining from participation or expressing dissent is also part of the language of democracy, he said.
"No one has claimed that there will be consensus on every issue. There will be disagreements and differing opinions, and it is through these that the struggle for democracy progresses.
"Consensus means moving forward together with everyone. If the BNP does not participate, questions remain as to how national consensus can be reached."
In the end, he said that the BNP will participate in the next phase of the dialogue, ready for positive discussions.
Comments