15th amendment creates crisis
Say pro-BNP professionals
Speakers at a discussion yesterday said the 15th amendment to the constitution has created a "political crisis" in the country repealing the caretaker government system.
They made the remark at a discussion styled “People's expectation: Constitution” organised by Bangladesh Sammilito Peshajibi Parishad, a pro-BNP professional forum, at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
The parliament passed the 15th constitution amendment bill on June 30 this year repealing the caretaker government system.
They also said any future parliament will have no power to amend some articles in the constitution as per new article 7B of the 15th amendment that will lead to create a "political crisis" in the country.
Barrister Rafiqul Haque said the next parliamentary election must be held under a neutral caretaker government with the participation of BNP, otherwise the election would not be acceptable to the people.
He also gave a formula for the caretaker government system.
He opined that a caretaker government can be formed with six elected representatives from the ruling party and five from the opposition. A three-member panel comprising recent retired chief justices will select the chief adviser among the eleven.
Former Dhaka University vice chancellor Prof Emajuddin Ahmed said around fifty articles of the 15th amendment are not acceptable, as these articles do not reflect the opinions of the mass people.
He also said the 15th amendment to the constitution is passed like the fourth amendment that introduced one party rule in the country which was anti-democratic.
The parliament cancelled the caretaker system "unilaterally and illegally" ignoring full directives of the Supreme Court, he said.
Law Department teacher of Dhaka University (DU) Prof Borhan Uddin Khan in his paper said one third of the constitution have been amended through the 15th amendment in "an ambiguous process" that restricts the way to further amendment.
He also said if the state wants to provide security to its people in future, there is no way to amend the present constitution without cancelling it.
Former DU Pro-VC Prof AFM Yusuf Haider Chowdhury, Sayed Dr Abdul Latif Masum, Prof Dr Shamsul Alam Selim, AZM Zahid Hossain, Mostafa Kamal Mojumder, Prof Gazi Majed, acting Editor of daily Amar Desh Mahmudur Rahman and Sayed Abdal Ahmed also spoke.
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