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Published : 06 Apr 2026, 02:58 PM
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) says it is becoming difficult to trust the government as it expressed its position on whether or not to convert ordinances into laws.
It says the ruling party is clearly indicating that it is taking a step back on important issues related to the independence of the judiciary, human rights, combating corruption and preventing enforced disappearances.
The organisation's Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman made the remarks at a press conference on the organisation’s position on the 13th parliament’s decision on repealing, cancelling or amending several ordinances enacted by the interim government.
The 133 ordinances issued in the 18 months of the interim government were raised in the first session of the parliament, as per the rules. A special committee of 14 members was formed to scrutinise them.
While some ordinances have been passed as bills according to the recommendations of the committee, other ordinances have not been brought forward yet and have been kept for further review.
TIB held a press conference on Monday to express its opinion on the matter.
In response to a question at the event, the executive director of TIB said: “[On Sunday], the secretary general of the ruling party said the July Charter will be implemented both in letter and in spirit. Secondly, the law minister said if the Enforced Disappearance Ordinance and the Human Rights Commission Ordinance are made into laws, then the victims of disappearances and inhumane acts will be victims of injustice.
“He said that they should be made more up-to-date so that justice can be ensured. We want to trust the statements of both of them, but trust is becoming difficult because we can see that they are not setting a good example of translating what they say into action.”
In a written statement at the briefing, Iftekharuzzaman said: “On Apr 2, out of the 133 ordinances issued by the interim government, the special committee of the national parliament recommended that a total of 98 ordinances be made into law, which is commendable.
“However, not all the ordinances that are going to be made into law are without weaknesses, and, in some cases, they have even been purposefully weakened. For example, the Government Accounts Audit Ordinance and the four amendment ordinances related to local government are among them.
The written statement said, “The most important deficiency that still exists in the Government Accounts Audit Ordinance is the violation of the constitutional status and independence of the auditor general.
“The four amendment ordinances related to local government are also weak in terms of administrative control. Basically, after the July Uprising, the government got the power to dismiss elected representatives in local governments such as city corporations, municipalities, district councils and Upazila councils and appoint administrators in special circumstances.
“The government was to exercise this power in special circumstances and in the public interest. But the elected government has also made the power to remove them at will a normal thing, which is against democratic norms.”
The TIB executive director says, “By repealing the three ordinances related to the independence of the judiciary, the government has created the risk of completely abolishing that independence. The government has not directly set any timeline for these three ordinances or given any indication that this will be handled in the future.
“It has been stated that 16 ordinances, including those concerning Human Rights Commission and the ACC, will be strengthened in the future, but the period is not specific. It has been stated that 15 ordinances, including the one regarding the Police Commission, which is in the third phase, will be passed in revised form, although it has not been clarified what kind of changes will be made in these areas.
“It is noteworthy that the government is clearly indicating taking a step back on important issues related to the independence of the judiciary, human rights, combating corruption and preventing enforced disappearances, which would have worked to strengthen the institutional foundation for establishing the rule of law, justice and human rights in the country and eliminating corruption."
On the other hand, the Police Commission Ordinance, which is completely voidable due to its extreme weaknesses, has been passed in the form of a bill by including provisions to ensure greater government control over the proposed Police Commission, which is also disappointing, he added.
