AL to oversee next election

The ruling Awami League has pushed through parliament the much-criticised 15th amendment of the constitution, repealing the non-party caretaker governments.

It means the next general election will be held under the Awami League government amid warning by opposition leader Khaleda Zia that confrontation is inevitable now.

With all the amendment proposals by MPs being cancelled through voice vote, the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill 2011 was passed in parliament through division voting in absence of the opposition on Thursday.

Speaker Abdul Hamid chaired the session where prime minister Sheikh Hasina and most of the Awami League MPs were present.

Through the amendment, the nationality of the people of Bangladesh has been changed from Bangladeshi to Bangalee.

Amid resistance by several quarters, Islam has been retained as the state religion while BISMILLAH-AR-RAHIMAN-AR-RAHIM (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent,the Merciful) has been kept in the preamble of the constitution.

The amended constitution also ensures equal status and rights for other religions.

Ethnic groups, however, failed to get constitutional recognition as 'indigenous' once again.

According to the amended constitution, general elections will be held within the last 90 days of the elected governments, no parliament session will be held at the time and the government will get on only with routine works.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed placed the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill 2011 in parliament, containing 55 recommendations.

Shafique said, "We've no right to do anything that goes against the verdict (of the Supreme Court). There's no reason to adopt those amendment proposals. I'm sorry that I cannot accept them..."

After the passage at 3:50pm, the prime minister thanked all MPs and members of the special committee on charter amendment.

"Today is a sacred day. We've ensured the voting rights of people," she said.

At a press briefing after the bill was passed, BNP chairperson Khaleda said, "All possibilities of holding a free, fair and impartial general election have been closed with the latest amendment to the constitution. With this misdeed, confrontation has become a certainty in the country."

Twelve mostly Islamist political parties called a 30-hour countrywide general strike from July 10 to protest removal of 'Absolute Faith and Trust in Allah' from the constitution by the 15th Amendment. Islami Andolan Bangladesh called general strike for July 3 over the same issue.

The bill incorporating 55 recommendations was placed in the House after scrutiny by the standing committee on Wednesday.

On June 25, the law minister placed the bill with 51 proposals and the standing committee was given two weeks to examine it.

The cabinet on June 20 cleared the path for placing the report in parliament as a bill.

The special parliamentary committee on the amendment on June 8 submitted its report. The 15-strong panel formed on July 21 last year was headed by Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, deputy leader of parliament.

The special committee finalised the recommendations after holding a series of meetings with political parties, judges, eminent personalities and the editors of national dailies on Apr 24-25, 27 and on May 3-4.

BNP did not turn up at its scheduled meeting with the committee while Jamaat-e-Islami was given a snub.

The largest party in the opposition enforced two general strikes protesting the move to change the constitution, especially annulment of the caretaker government provision.

PROPOSALS PLACED, AZIM'S OPPOSITION

Thursday's business began at 11:50am with speaker Abdul Hamid in the chair with the opposition still out.

Meanwhile, independent MP Fazlul Azim, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) president Hasanul Haque Inu, Shah Zikrul Ahmed (JaSaD) and Amina Ahmed (NAP), among others, took part in the discussions.

Azim brought an objection motion to send the bill to the scrutiny committee for getting public opinion, which was later turned down by a voice vote.

"The nation is divided over the bill. The constitution could be amended, it was done earlier too with two-thirds majority. But this time some fundamental issues are to be changed.

"There's no need to rush with these issues. Why is such hurry with such a big charter? I don't want the nation to make a mistake on the issue," he said.

But as his allotted time expired, his microphone was switched off. In protest, he walked out 11:57am, but returned in three minutes.

The law minister in his speech protested the proposal, which was later rejected by voice votes.

AMENDMENT PROPOSALS PLACED, CANCELLED THROUGH VOICE VOTE

Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) president Hasanul Haque Inu, JaSad membersMoinuddin Khan Badal and Shah Zikrul Ahmed, and Amina Ahmed of NAP raised amendment proposals on 'Bismillah', Islam as state religion, religion-based politics and nationality.

Menon proposed amendments to seven points of the bill including 2, 4, 6, 14, 15 and 16. He demanded recognition of other communities living in the country.

"I've asked for dropping the second point where Bismillah has been added.
 

"The people expected that the Grand Alliance government would return to the 1972 constitution where people will have no scope to do politics using religion. But the provision has strengthened religion here."

He proposed that Islam could be added as the religion of the majority people of the republic other than state religion.

Inu in his speech said: "People can have religion, but not the state. I'm demanding deletion of points two and four."

They also demanded recognition of the indigenous people.
 

The law minister said, "We've ensured equal rights to all religions alongside Islam. Secularism doesn't mean 'without religion'."

"There is no logic to accept the proposals. I'm sorry not accept them," he concluded.

The proposals, however, were cancelled through voice vote later.

VOTE DIVISION

The bill was passed through vote division in line with the Section 99 of the rules of procedure.

Parliamentarians favouring the bill gathered in the four lobbies given to them while only one MP opposing the bill sat in the lobby given for the opposition.

After the amendment proposals were cancelled through voice vote, the speaker put the 55 proposals by the standing committee to be finalised.

The proposals were passed by 289-1.

The law minister then formally urged the House to pass the bill. After being passed through voice vote, it was passed in the vote division.

Two hundred and 91 parliamentarians cast their votes in favour of the bill while only one vote went against it.

Before entering the lobbies, the MPs signed the papers with two options — 'YES' and 'NO' — written on them.

The speaker announced the result of the voting after counting the papers.

Tanzim Ahmed Sohel Taz and Nurul Mazid Humayun were absent in the first phase.

There are 270 members of the Awami League, 29 of the Jatiya Party, three of JaSad and two of the Workers Party in the grand-alliance government. Of the Awami League members, 11 were absent while one of Jatiya Party did not attend the session.

Thirty-six BNP MPs, two Jamaat-e-Islami MPs, one Bangladesh Jatiya Party MP and one Liberal Democratic Party MP were also absent.

Hasina seemed very happy during the session. Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury and foreign minister Dipu Moni were with her while voting.

During the first phase, Menon, Inu, Badal and Zikrul sat idle. They took part in the voting after being requested by Awami League leaders Tofail Ahmed and Syed Ashraful Islam.

Deputy speaker Shawkat Ali cast his vote but the speaker could not as he chaired the session.

SHAFIQUE A SPECTATOR

Though he placed the bill, law minister Shafique could not cast his vote as he was a technocrat minister.

Industries minister Dilip Barua and state minister for information and communications technology Yafesh Osman followed him as they are also technocrats.

• All amendment proposals rejected

• 55 amendments proposed in report

• Suranjit admits compromise