Leaders of National Citizen’s Party (NCP) are spending a busy time in election-centric campaigns in their localities during the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday. The party is planning to hold discussions with different stakeholders about reforms after the Eid. The party might also roll out a series of programmes demanding Awami League’s trial, reform and Constituent Assembly elections.
Idea of these plans has been found upon discussion with top leaders of the NCP.
The leaders of this newly formed party of the youth maintain that the way BNP has taken stance against reform issues worry them. Therefore, they attach importance to discussing reform issues after Eid. The NCP’s Reform Coordination Committee will discuss this issue at various levels.
The NCP is in a strict position on not giving Awami League any chance to do politics in the country. They are in favor of banning the Awami League. But instead of an executive order, they want it through the judicial process. The NCP wants Awami League’s registration to be annulled for the time being before the judicial process is finished.
The NCP also wants Awami League and its affiliate organisations to not be able to carry out political activities while trial is ongoing. Apart from this, the party is in a strict position against any attempt to rehabilitate Awami League. Several leaders of the party have said that the issue of canceling Awami League’s registration will be one of the main agendas in the NCP’s politics after Eid.
Dialogue on reform
BNP submitted its reaction on reform proposed by five reform commissions including that of constitution in writing. The party officially handed over its reaction to the National Consensus Commission on 23 March. The NCP also submitted its reaction on the same day.
There are some fundamental differences in the opinions between BNP and NCP. BNP does not want any change in the basic principles of the constitution while NCP does. BNP wants to retain the term of a parliament to five years while NCP wants four years in line with the suggestion of reform commission. BNP also expressed dissent with the recommendation that the same person should not be the head of a political party and the leader of parliament. The NCP’s opinion is the opposite.
Recently, senior BNP leaders have started speaking in a negative tone on the issue of reforms during the interim government. At an event in Chattogram on 28 March, BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, “Sorry, this is not your responsibility. In the future, it is the responsibility of those whom the people of Bangladesh will elect and send to parliament. Not your responsibility. Don’t forget this.”
The BNP’s stance on reforms has raised eyebrows among the NCP policymakers. Several leaders of NCP have said that the reform process may be stalled due to BNP’s objections as it is a large political party. If so, there will be no fundamental change and the spirit of July uprising will dissipate. But considering its capabilities and the overall situation, the new party NCP does not want to get involved in a face-off with BNP. That is why they are interested in discussions.
Two top leaders of NCP told Prothom Alo that they would discuss the issue of reforms with stakeholders formally and informally after Eid. The party will try to reach a consensus on the issue through dialogue. NCP’s reform coordination committee will mainly hold the dialogue.
Possible programmes ahead
NCP will announce its party manifesto and programmes after Eid. The issues of trial of Awami League for July genocide, reform and Constituent Election will get priority in the party’s programmes. Cancellation of Awami League’s registration will also be a priority.
A top leader of the party said that the NCP will focus on organising the party after Eid. The party will focus on forming committees to organise the party at the grassroots level and to establish party’s offices including central office required to to get registered. They are eyeing to complete the work of forming the organizational committee within the next two months.
A top leader of the NCP told Prothom Alo that leader of the NCP told Prothom Alo that there may be a series of programs such as rallies in the party’s organisational divisions and rallies in the districts after Eid. He said that these programs will be held to demand trial of Awami League, carry out reform and hold elections to the Constituent Assembly. Along with this, the demand for cancellation of the registration of the Awami League will also be put forward. The party may also press the demand to the EC.
The NCP wants to engage the families of the martyrs of the July uprising, the injured, NCP leaders and workers and common people in these programmes. The party’s senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adib told Prothom Alo that they have not yet decided on the programmes. The programmes might be chalked out immediately after Eid.
Party’s registration issue
The EC on 10 March sought application for registration of new political parties in a public notice. It called for applications for registration by 20 April. However, Rastra Sanskar Andolan’s chief coordinator Hasnat Qayyum filed a writ petition in the High Court on 16 March regarding the validity of the EC’s public notice.
On 18 March, the court issued an order along with a rule after the initial hearing of the writ. Lawyer Abeda Gulrukh, the counsel for the petitioner, told reporters that day that the High Court had issued a rule along with suspending the effectiveness of the public notice. However, this suspension order will only apply to the petitioner (Rastra Sangskar Andolon).
The NCP started its journey on 28 February. To get registered with the EC, a party must have a central office with a central committee, district offices in at least one-third of the administrative districts, and offices in at least 100 upazilas or metropolitan thanas (each of which must have a minimum of 200 voters enrolled as members). But the leaders believe that it is not possible for the new party, NCP, to achieve this by 20 April. A top NCP leader told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, ‘We might also go to court after Eid like the Rastra Sangskar Andolon did in the registration issue.’