BNP’s Fakhrul questions purpose of meeting with UN Secretary-General Guterres

The foundation for fundamental reforms must be laid under the present administration, says NCP leader Nahid

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said he failed to understand the purpose of the roundtable meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who is currently visiting Bangladesh.

After the meeting at the InterContinental Dhaka hotel on Saturday afternoon, he said: “Actually, I didn’t quite understand what this roundtable was about.”

The BNP leader confirmed that discussions on reforms took place during the meeting.

He, however, pointed out that the UN chief did not provide any comments on the matter.

The roundtable included leaders from seven political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nagorik Oikya, Communist Party of Bangladesh, or CPB, Amar Bangladesh, or AB Party, Ganosamhati Andolon, and the National Citizen Party, or NCP.

The meeting, organised by the United Nations office in Dhaka, began at 1pm.

Among those in attendance were Law Advisor Asif Nazrul, Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam, Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant Monir Haider, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Jamaat-e-Islami Vice-President Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, National Citizen Party Convenor Nahid Islam, and Amar Bangladesh Party General Secretary Asaduzzaman Fuad.

Also present were the heads of reform commissions, including Ali Riaz of the Constitutional Reform Commission, Iftekharuzzaman of the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission, Badiul Alam Majumdar of the Electoral Reform Commission, Safar Raj Hossain of the Police Reform Commission, and Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury of the Public Administration Reform Commission.

‘NO TIME FRAME DISCUSSED FOR REFORMS’

Fakhrul said, "The roundtable was called by the United Nations. Several political party leaders and heads of reform commissions were present.

“The UN secretary-general was briefed on the reforms being undertaken by the commissions."

"Law Advisor Asif Nazrul provided an explanation while we reiterated our previous stance," he added.

He said, "We have said the same thing. Reforms must be carried out. We have spoken about reforms before, and these reforms need to be implemented as quickly as possible."

The BNP leader said their primary demand was election-related reforms.

“We have said the electoral reforms must be completed as soon as possible. After that, other reforms can be carried out through the formation of the parliament.

“Reforms are an ongoing process — this is what we have been saying."

When asked about the UN chief’s comments on the political party leaders' statements, Mirza Fakhrul said he did not make any remarks on the matter.

Regarding whether any time frame for reforms was discussed, he said: "There was no need to talk about a time frame. This is entirely an internal matter for us."

CALLS FOR SWIFT IMPLEMENTATION OF JULY CHARTER

NCP Convenor Nahid said, “The foundation for fundamental reforms must be laid under the current administration, with all political parties reaching a consensus through signing the July Charter.”

“We have called for the swift implementation of the July Charter to fulfil our commitment to the public regarding the continuity of reforms.”

He continued, “The heads of the reform commissions presented summaries of their reform reports, and political party representatives shared their positions on reforms.

“On behalf of the National Citizen Party, our stance on reform is that the government formed after the mass uprising views justice and reform as one of its primary commitments to the people.”

When asked about discussions on constitutional reforms, Nahid said: "There was no opportunity for detailed discussions here. We had an overall discussion on reforms.

“Reforms must be carried out through a Constituent Assembly; otherwise, constitutional amendments in parliament will not be sustainable, as seen in Bangladesh’s history.

“From that perspective, we are calling for a Constituent Assembly election. We hope that the next national polls will include both parliamentary and Constituent Assembly elections. We have also raised issues concerning trials."

Nahid said, "We briefly outlined our party's position. The UN secretary-general said, from his standpoint, the political parties and government of Bangladesh should resolve their differences and reach a consensus.

“He has encouraged us to work together in line with the true essence of democracy,” he added.

In response to a question about elections, he said: “We believe and have stated that elections should be seen as part of the reform process. Without reforms, elections will be meaningless.

"All other political parties also agree with this. The differences lie in when the reforms will take place—how much before the election and how much after.

“We believe that if the reforms are implemented under the July Charter, these differences will be resolved, and we will be able to reach a consensus."