Skipping Constitution Reform Council oath would void MPs’ mandate, says Asif Mahmud

He says refusing to take the reform council oath on constitutional grounds strips the parliamentary oath of its legitimacy

Former student advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain has said skipping the oath as a member of the Constitution Reform Council would render a parliamentary oath “meaningless”.

A day before the MP oath, on Monday, he made the remark in a Facebook post.

“The oath of the Constitution Reform Council must be taken tomorrow at the scheduled time,” he wrote.

“If you refuse to take it because it is ‘not in the constitution’, then your oath as a member of parliament is meaningless.”

Alongside the parliamentary election, a referendum on implementing the July National Charter was held on Thursday.

With the “Yes” vote winning, the Constitution Reform Council is now responsible for carrying out the Charter’s reform proposals.

Members of the parliament will serve on this council, meaning they must take a separate oath as council members in addition to their parliamentary oath on Tuesday.