TDS Desk

The Constitutional Reform Commission will work on making the constitution of Bangladesh slim and understandable, with some articles needing omission or replacement, Ali Riaz, head of the commission, told India Today in an interview.

In the interview published on December 12, he also said the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War will be in the constitution’s preamble, but some changes are necessary.

“People of Bengal have put up valiant fights against all kinds of invaders, including the British. Why shouldn’t this spirit be mentioned there as well?

“And of course, the July-August uprising led by the students and common people must be respected duly by mentioning it in the preamble. After all, this revolution facilitated the need and chance for constitutional reforms for a better and new Bangladesh. That will be our recommendation,” he said.

Riaz also said that many of the stakeholders and experts during the course of the work suggested bicameralism – two separate houses of the legislature – in terms of the kind of parliament.

“We are debating the prospects and our final recommendation will come in time,” he said.

He also said it was imperative to change Article 70 of the constitution.

“It [Article 70] prevents free voting by the members by crossing the floor in parliament. Members lose their seats if they vote against their party. This helps the ruling party to use the article as a rubber stamp for its actions and the parliament will never be able to hold a no-confidence vote to remove the prime minister,” said Riaz.

He said members of the parliament must be empowered to exercise free will so that rulers remain accountable to the House.

On whether Bangladesh will remain a secular country with an official state religion, Riaz pointed out that 25% of the world’s nations have a state religion.

“This doesn’t stop them from being secular… As for secularism, I think the word has been misinterpreted in the Bengali version of our constitution. Secularism is a philosophy. Let us not get bogged down by this play of words,” he said.

He emphasised that the pluralistic nature of Bangladesh must stay intact at all costs, adding, “Its inclusive approach cannot be meddled with, since it is our foundation.”

On the fundamental principles guiding the constitution, he said those should be “equality, social justice and human dignity.”