Khaleda to make JS bicameral

She unveils Vision 2030, pledges changes in PM’s authority

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday unveiled her party’s charter Vision-2030 pledging to balance the powers of the president and the prime minister and to establish a bicameral parliament through necessary amendment to the constitution.
She revealed the plan while inaugurating and presiding over the party’s 6th national conference and council session 2016 at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.
Giving the essence of the plan in written statement, she said necessary steps would be taken to turn the present parliament into a bicameral parliament.
‘During the recent years people have deeply realised that absolute executive authority of the prime minister has given rise to an authoritarian rule. To bring this to an end BNP will ensure balance of the executive authority of the state through necessary amendments to the constitution,’ she told the opening council session.
Maintaining the unitary nature of the constitution, the existing parliamentary system would be reformed establishing an upper house of the parliament with representation from different communities, marginalised groups and knowledgeable and gifted people from different professions.
She said BNP would run the state ensuring effective participation of the people and honouring the expectations of the people based on opinions of civil society, mass media and experts, opinion polls and hopes and aspiration of the people.
BNP believes that democracy and development are not mutually exclusive but complementary to each other, Khaleda said.
She said they wanted to combine 3Gs –– good policy, good governance and good government.
To ensure proper democratic and economic governance, BNP would reform the Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Law Commission, University Grants Commission and other constitutional and statutory bodies and would keep them free from corruption and politicisation, she said.
The efficacy and credibility of these institutions would be restored through legal and other measures, she added.
She said BNP wanted to strive to turn Bangladesh into a modern democratic and high-middle income country with per capita income of $5,000 by 2030.
BNP would take creative and intelligent policies and measures to reach a double digit GDP growth rate, she said.
Freedom to discharge responsibilities by the members of judiciary, administration, police and military would be ensured eliminating partisan and extralegal interventions, she said.
Khaleda said BNP would abrogate all black laws. Extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance and all types of physical and psychological persecution would be abolished to ensure safety of people against all types of cruel treatment.
BNP would enact a fair law on appointment the Supreme Court judges, she said.
BNP would not compromise on corruption and reform laws to curb corruption in all spheres of life, she said.
The office of the ombudsman would be activated to ensure administrative transparency and accountability, the BNP chief said.
Policies on appointment to constitutional offices would be reformed to revitalise the offices and public hearing would be introduced for such appointments, she said, adding that the system of referendum would be re-established.
BNP would not allow any terrorist or separatist activities in Bangladesh against any other country, she said, adding that the BNP would not interfere in the domestic matters of any country.
Similarly BNP hoped that no country would interfere in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and create threat to Bangladesh’s security.
She said BNP wanted to establish creative, positive and future oriented trend of government and politics against vendetta and would take initiative to reach a social agreement.
The elaborate planning and implementation process of the Vision 2030 would be detailed and placed before the people seeking their support and cooperation and the future election manifesto of the party would be made based on it, said the BNP chief.
She said BNP along with leading intellectuals, planners, researchers and leading personalities from different professional arenas have drawn up a forward-looking and broad based positive plan.
She reiterated her call for a dialogue on a fair election to end the present political crisis.
Khaleda paid tribute to the freedom fighters and recalled with deep appreciation the contribution of national leaders Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Hossain Shahid Suhrawardy and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for expediting the Liberation War through their long struggles.
She thanked India, other friendly countries and people who had extended support and assistance during the 1971 War for Independence.
She also paid tribute to late president Ziaur Rahman who ‘proclaimed’ independence of Bangladesh.
Khaleda said the council was being held at a critical juncture of the nation when there was no democracy, representative parliament and legitimate government, accountability, good governance and justice. There were only authoritarianism, corruption, mal governance and total anarchy.
Despite having ability, Bangladesh has gone down as a nation in the absence of unity, discipline and integrated planning and initiative.
‘We have to overcome the situation…Only BNP can ensure this through positive and forward-looking politics,’ she said.
She said her party believed in building such a liberal democratic society where freedom of speech and civil rights would be guaranteed upholding the national interest.
BNP is totally committed not to discredit the opinion and believes of the minorities and the weak and backward sections of the society, Khaleda said, adding that BNP wanted to nurture and strengthen a political culture which would create a vibrant pluralistic Bangladeshi society and Bangladesh would become a rainbow nation through unity in diversity.
She said BNP did not believe in ‘one day democracy’ and did not want to limit people’s power only to the polling day or to cast vote.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman, Jamiruddin Sircar, Tariqul Islam, ASM Hannan Shah, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Nazrul Islam Khan were present.
A video statement of BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been staying in London since 2008, was screened at the inaugural session.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also addressed the session.
Foreign guests including British lawmaker Saimon Danczuk former EU parliament member and UK Liberal Democratic Party executive member Phil Bennian, Chicago city council chairman Joe Moore councillor, and some foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka attended the inaugural session.
Saimon Danczuk, Phil Bennian, Olderamn Joe Moore addressed the function.
Indian RSS leader Indresh Kumar sent a message of greeting for the council session and that was read out at the function by BNP leader Shama Obaed. A video message of foreign affair committee member Vijay Jolly was also screened.
Khaleda inaugurated the council session hoisting national flag and releasing bunch of colourful balloons and pigeons while Mirza Fakhrul and district unit presidents and secretaries hoisted the party flags following rendering of national anthem.
The party theme song was also sung by members of BNP’s cultural wing JASAS including noted singers Baby Naznin and Monir Khan.
One minute solemn silence was observed by standing in respect of those distinguished local and international personalities and party leaders and activists died and killed since BNP’s last council session held on December 8, 2009.
No representatives from the ruling Awami League and its allies were seen at the programme.
Bikalpadhara Bangladesh president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Liberal Democratic Party president Oli Ahmed addressed the opening session.
Professionals including former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Emajuddin Ahamed, senior lawyer Rafiq-ul Huq, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, educationist Mahbub Ullah and journalist Mahfuz Ullah, among others, attended the function.
Leaders of BNP-led alliance including Jamaat-e-Islami attended the session conducted by BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan.
Most of the councillors wore red-green caps and many leaders and activists wore various coloured T-shirts including green and white.
Sitting arrangement for delegates were made at Suhrawardy Udyan adjacent to IEB but many delegates and non-delegate entered the main venue which was for councillors, invited local and foreign guests, political leaders and the press.
Although there were festive mood centring the council session after six years, mismanagement caused sufferings to the councillors, delegates, invited guests and journalists.
Councillors, guests and journalists faced troubles to enter the venue as they had to fight to enter through single pocket gate due to crowd of non-designated party men at the entrance.
Several councillors and guests were injured entering the main venue at the IEB.  The poor sound system caused trouble to all in hearing the function’s items.
A good number of delegates and several thousand enthusiastic BNP leaders and workers from Dhaka city units and adjacent districts also sat on the road from Matsya Bhaban to Dhaka Club, Ramna Park and nearby areas.
Female volunteers in colourful saris greeted the councillors and guests with flower and handmade fan at the council venue decorated with festoons carrying portraits of Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and their eldest son Tarique.

Source: New Age