The Minister of Home Affairs, Salahuddin Ahmed, affirmed his party’s commitment to upholding the July National Charter while emphasizing the importance of democratic decision-making processes. Speaking at a dialogue organized by the Citizens’ Platform at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka’s Agargaon, he stated that every aspect of the July National Charter would be adhered to.
He clarified that although his party would fully implement the charter, they would not tolerate any decisions being forced upon them and highlighted that dissenting views had been expressed by political parties on certain charter issues.
Salahuddin outlined that his party had agreed on four key areas where MPs were expected to follow the party’s stance, such as constitutional amendments and wartime legislation, while allowing MPs freedom on other matters.
Additionally, he expressed his party’s support for establishing a 100-seat upper house based on proportional representation but opposed granting the chamber authority to amend the constitution.
The minister raised concerns about the proposal for lawmakers to swear in as members of a Constitution Reform Council, stating that voters had elected them as parliamentary candidates, not as council members.
He emphasized that any proposals or referendums regarding constitutional reform should be presented to the parliament for deliberation and approval, emphasizing the necessity for democracy to evolve through debates and discussions within the national parliament.