Senior economist and East West University (EWU) Board of Trustees Chairperson Professor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin has proposed a series of constitutional and governance reforms aimed at ensuring balanced development and building a state based on equality, human dignity and social justice.
He presented the proposals while delivering the keynote address at the 8th Nahreen Khan Memorial Lecture held on Sunday at the ‘Manzur Elahi’ Auditorium of EWU. His speech was titled “Constitutional Reform and Democratic Governance: A Bangladesh Perspective.”
Dr Farashuddin suggested introducing a proportional representation system in the Upper House of Parliament instead of applying it to the election of Members of Parliament (MPs) in general elections.
He also proposed that MPs should have the freedom to vote independently on all legislative matters, except constitutional amendments, no-confidence motions and money bills.
The former Governor of Bangladesh Bank said lawmakers should refrain from directly engaging in local administrative and development activities. He also stressed the need for stronger financial discipline and recommended giving constitutional status to the position of Bangladesh Bank Governor.
Dr Farashuddin further proposed that the authority to appoint all constitutional positions should be placed with the President of Bangladesh.
To improve the efficiency of public administration, he called for the establishment of a highly capable and powerful administrative reform commission.
Focusing on urban development and economic growth, Dr Farashuddin highlighted the need to establish a Metropolitan Authority, similar to the one in Delhi, to develop suburban areas around Dhaka.
He said Bangladesh could build a governance structure based on equality, dignity and social justice — the ideals of the Liberation War — by introducing an automated tax revenue collection system, ensuring neutral appointments in public administration and strictly following the principle of rewarding the deserving and punishing wrongdoing.
Dr Farashuddin expressed optimism that Bangladesh could become a trillion-dollar economy within the next decade if these reform milestones were achieved.
The memorial lecture also featured speeches by EWU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Shams Rahman, retired University of Dhaka English Department professor Dr Fakrul Alam, senior journalist Sohrab Hasan and EWU Treasurer Air Commodore (Retd.) Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury.
Members of the EWU Board of Trustees, faculty members, students, administrative staff and family members of the late Nahreen Khan attended the event.
The annual memorial lecture is organised in memory of Nahreen Khan, an alumna of EWU and daughter of the late Dr Akbar Ali Khan, a renowned economist and former adviser to the Caretaker Government.
