# There should be a balance of power between the President and the PM
# Same person will not be the PM for more than two consecutive terms
# A deputy speaker should be nominated from the opposition
# Institutional arrangements should be made for a shadow cabinet
# 'Cyber Security Act-2023' and all black laws should be repealed
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has placed a 10-point proposal for state reform. Nayeb-e-Amir and former MP Dr Syed Abdullah Md Taher placed the proposals on behalf of the party at a function at a hotel in Gulshan yesterday.
The party placed a 10-point proposal before the nation on law and justice, parliamentary affairs, electoral system, law and order, public administration, corruption, constitution, education and culture, foreign affairs and reforms in the religious ministry.
At the outset of his speech, Dr Taher prayed for those who lost their lives during the July-August movement, calling on Allah to accept them as martyrs. He accused the Awami League (AL) of establishing authoritarian control over the country, saying: "AL entrenched its power through dictatorship, capturing the administration, executive branch, and judiciary. Thousands of cases were filed to create a reign of oppression."
Dr Taher emphasized the need for a separation between the judiciary and the executive branch. “To ensure justice, the judiciary must be reformed,” he said, adding that civil cases should be resolved within five years and criminal cases within three years.
After the introductory speech, Nayeb-e-Ameer and former lawmaker Dr. Syed Abdullah Md. Taher on behalf of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami presented the 10-point proposal for reform of important and major sectors of the state.
1. Law and Justice:
The first phase of Jamaat is law and justice. In this phase, the party says that a fair and specific policy should be formulated for the appointment of judges to the High Court. Dual rule should be removed from the judiciary. Effective measures should be taken to separate the judiciary from the executive. A separate secretariat should be established under the Supreme Court separately from the Law Ministry. For the sake of ensuring justice, necessary amendments to the existing laws and laws consistent with the values of the people should be enacted.
The 'Cyber Security Act-2023' and all black laws should be repealed. High Court benches should be established at the divisional level to reduce the prolongation of trials. A separate judicial commission should be formed to ensure proper independence of the lower courts. An independent investigation committee should be formed to investigate all criminal cases. Provision should be made for disposal of civil cases within a maximum of 5 years and criminal cases within a maximum of 3 years.
2. Parliamentary Reforms:
The second point is about parliamentary reform. According to this clause, a deputy speaker should be nominated from the main opposition party in Parliament. Institutional arrangements should be made to form a shadow cabinet headed by the leader of the parliamentary opposition. Sufficient time should be given to the opposition members in Parliament.
3. Electoral reform:
In the third phase, the party has highlighted the reform of the electoral system. It has been said in this clause that proportional representation system should be introduced in the parliamentary elections. In order to ensure a fair and transparent election, the caretaker government system should be permanently incorporated in the constitution. To ensure transparency in the election, the rejected EVM voting system in different countries should be abolished. No government employee can be a candidate in any kind of election within at least three years of leaving their job.
Local government elections should be held in a non-partisan manner. To ensure a participatory election, the registration system of political parties introduced in 2008 in conflict with the constitution should be abolished. A search committee comprising the prime minister, the opposition leader and the chief justice will be formed to appoint the election commissioner and other commissioners. Measures should be taken to hold the national parliament election on more than one day. National ID card management should be brought under the Election Commission.
4. Law and Order Reform:
Regarding law and order reforms in the fourth phase, the party said, a) Reform of the police force: The police law enacted by the British government in 1861 should be changed and a policy guideline should be made for the police. Religious education and moral discipline should be included in the police training manual. The use of lethal weapons among the police should be abolished. During the interrogation, the presence of the lawyer of the accused and the presence of their guardian during the interrogation of the female accused should be ensured. There should be a provision for the constitution of the Police Tribunal by the judicial members.
Police duties and other facilities should be improved. The 'Police Act' should be modernized by changing, enlarging and refining. b) RAB reforms: Necessary reforms should be completed to restore public confidence in RAB and other specialized forces. Those who worked in RAB for the last 15 and a half years should be brought back to their respective forces and they cannot be recruited again. All extrajudicial killings must be stopped. A cell has to be formed to monitor the overall activities of RAB. If any RAB member is involved in any illegal activity, this cell will frame charges against him. In the case of media, policy formulation and compliance should be ensured.
5. Public Administration Reforms:
The fifth point talked about reforming public administration. Jamaat believes that instead of lobbying, recommendation and party loyalty, merit, efficiency and honesty should be given priority in recruitment, transfer, posting of manpower. From the recruitment notice to the recruitment of any job, it should be completed within a reasonable time without delay. Applications for government jobs should be free. The age of application for the job will be 35 years for the next two years and the next age limit will be 33 years permanently and the retirement age will be 62 years.
Age discrimination should be eliminated in all cases of job application. Special arrangements should be made to prevent corruption in all government offices so that no one gets the opportunity to indulge in corruption. For this, necessary monitoring should be arranged. The prevailing inter-cadre discrimination in jobs has to be eliminated. During the tenure of the previous Awami government, those who got jobs in government jobs due to question paper leaks, corruption, fraud and party considerations should be canceled.
6. Corruption:
In the sixth point, the party presented the party's opinion on what to do to stop corruption. Jamaat thinks that the Anti-Corruption Commission should appoint tested, honest, just, efficient and competent people. Accountability must be ensured in all sectors of the state. The Anti-Corruption Commission should be strengthened and given freedom to work impartially. During the tenure of the previous government, steps should be taken to formulate appropriate provisions to bring back the smuggled money from the country and to implement it.
A ministry-based Anti-Corruption Commission should be formed. The law of the Anti-Corruption Commission should be reformed, manpower and scope should be increased. A clear law should be enacted to take action against those who illegally consume state and public property.
7. Constitutional reform:
In the seventh phase, the party is talking about constitutional reform. The party thinks that the balance of power between the President and the Prime Minister should be added. The same person cannot remain Prime Minister for more than two consecutive terms.
8. Education and Cultural Reform:
The eighth point talks about reforms in the field of education and culture. In this case, (a) Education reform proposal in the light of the prevailing problems: Secondary from class VI to X and higher secondary from class XI and XII should be maintained. The public examination of class eight should be canceled and the previous examination system should be brought back.
The objective history of the 2024 mass upsurge should be highlighted in the textbooks. Elements against religious values should be removed from textbooks of all classes. Essays on the life of great men including the biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) should be added in all categories. Independent Ebtedayee madrasas should be established. The existing independent Ebtedayee madrasas should be nationalized.
At least one Kamil madrasa should be nationalized in each district. Technical and vocational education should be included in the mainstream of general education. Representation of all sections of the Education Commission formed for education reform including general, alia, qaumi should be ensured. B. Cultural reform: Different types of films should be made in the light of the historical movement-struggle and values of the nation.
In order to commemorate the historic days of the nation, special days should be declared and arrangements should be made to observe them under state patronage. Various entertainment programs including dramas, movies should be made obscenity-free. Provisions should be made to refrain from defaming different religions, especially Islam, in dramas, movies and various contents. Instead of making statue-based sculptures of animals, indigenous nature, tradition should be highlighted in various paintings and sculptures. Dissemination of educational programs in the media should be ensured.
9. Foreign Affairs Reform:
In the case of foreign affairs reforms, Jamaat has said that in foreign relations, mutual relations with all democratic countries should be maintained on the basis of equality and fairness. International river water sharing agreements between China, Nepal, India and Bangladesh should be initiated under the mediation of the United Nations. Trade relations with ASEAN countries should be increased. All agreements signed with other countries during the tenure of the previous government should be reviewed. In this case, a review commission should be formed. Initiatives should be taken to include Bangladesh in the ASEAN alliance. Strong SAARC reconstruction initiatives should be undertaken. If there is an agreement or MoU with any country, those agreements and memorandums of understanding will have to be approved in the next parliament session after detailed discussion.
10. Reform of the Ministry of Religion:
Jamaat has also proposed to reform the activities of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The party thinks that Islamic Foundation Bangladesh (IFABA) should be built as a meaningful institution for the welfare of the state. The Imam Training Academy should be converted into an independent body or office so that they can work independently. The Islamic Mission should be established as a separate agency directly under the ministry. A separate department should be established for Hajj management. Effective initiatives should be taken to reduce the cost of Hajj and Umra. A research institute should be established in the Islamic Foundation where the country's renowned scholars will be involved. All controversial books should be canceled and publication stopped. The right of all religions to conduct religious activities must be ensured.
After the written statement, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman answered the questions of the journalists. He said the constitution of Bangladesh "did not get Bangladesh as its motherland". The first constitution of Bangladesh, written in 1972, was 'born' in India. The Constitution that was drafted then was done in India when India played an important role in the war of independence. The constitution could have been written sitting in Bangladesh. Not only India, we could invite experts from all over the world. Then Bangladesh would have been the birthplace of our constitution.
Jamaat Ameer said, "We noticed that ‘Bakshal’ was established after a seven-minute speech in parliament when Sheikh Mujib was there. Our constitution should not be a stupid constitution. Not only elections, but the constitution should be based on the overall social structure.
Asked whether there will be elections or reforms first, he said, "There will be two roadmaps; one for reform and one for elections. But the time should not be too long, nor too short. There are many political parties in the country. For a colorful parliament, the party will have to vote for no person of the people."
Questioning the three elections during the AL government, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said, "AL itself does not want elections, if we impose elections on them, it will be oppressed."
Asked whether the election will be held without any party like in the past, Jamaat Ameer said, "They came to power in January 2009, no matter how it comes. After that, 14, 18, 24 three elections were held, was it an election at all? They did whatever it took to stay in power. If they themselves do not want the election, then if we impose the election on AL, it will be an injustice on them."
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said that the burden of 'accounting will be on the people of Bangladesh' whether AL will participate in the election or not.
Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman and Maulana ANM Shamsul Islam, Assistant Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum, Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, Hamidur Rahman Azad (former MP), Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Jubayer and Maulana Abdul Halim, Central Executive Committee members Saiful Alam Khan Milon and Mobarak Hossain were present in the meeting. Central Executive Committee Member and Dhaka City South Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul, Central Executive Committee Member and Dhaka City North Ameer Selim Uddin, Central President of Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir Manjurul Islam and others present at that time.
ZH
