Conflict over reforms: Will what didn't happen in 8 months possible in 7 days?

DU Prof Kazi Mahbobor Rahman believes the parties will no longer be able to come to a decision; the government itself must decide

The interim government has given political parties one week to resolve disagreements over the process of implementing the July National Charter and the referendum date.

Analysts, however, raised questions about how much resolution is possible in seven days when the disputes were not settled during the Consensus Commission's eight months of dialogue with the parties.

Furthermore, there is the question of which party will call for new discussions and which party will respond.

Most analysts believe the final decision over the process of implementing the July Charter and referendum date will ultimately have to be made by the government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

There are broadly two types of disagreements among the parties over the Charter implementation – the process of implementing it and the date of the referendum.

The BNP and a few other parties want the national election and the referendum to be held on the same day and the full responsibility for implementing the Charter to rest with the elected parliament.

On the other hand, several parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, demanded that the referendum be held in November. They also said the order for implementing the July Charter must come from the chief advisor.

The recommendation that the Consensus Commission submitted to the government on Oct 28, amid the rigid stances of the parties, contains no clear instructions. It suggests the referendum could be held either on the day of the parliamentary polls or before it.

Following this, the government called on the parties to sit for talks over the referendum on Monday.

Professor Kazi Mahbobor Rahman of the political science department at Dhaka University said, “The interim government has a responsibility. Now, if you say that the political parties will decide among themselves, then why have an interim government?

“For a long time, the Consensus Commission played the role of a referee. Now the Consensus Commission has completed its work, the interim government must now play that role.”

The professor believes the parties can no longer reach a decision through discussion and for that reason, the government itself must discuss with the parties and reach a decision.

Following an emergency Advisory Council meeting chaired by the chief advisor on Monday, Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said the government believes it is necessary to take a final decision on an emergency basis about when the referendum will be held, what its subject will be and what steps will be taken concerning the points of dissent mentioned in the July Charter.

The long-time allied political parties of the anti-fascist movement have been urged to hold discussions on their own initiative and provide the government with a unified directive in the fastest possible time, if possible within the next week, he added.