A fresh referendum will be held if fundamental amendments are made to the Constitution, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Sunday, drawing immediate resistance from opposition parties, which rejected the move as “ridiculous, illegal and authoritarian”.
The decision was taken at the third meeting of the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendments, where the committee said constitutional changes would require public approval.
Salahuddin, who heads the committee, said it aims to prepare the report by December, place the amendment bill in parliament in January and hold a referendum before the president gives final approval.
Opposition parties, however, said people had already given their verdict through the referendum on the July National Charter and that another referendum would not be accepted.
Editors of various media outlets, senior journalists and leaders of journalist organisations attended Sunday’s meeting at the Cabinet Room of the parliament building. The meeting began at 2:30pm and ended at 5:15pm.
According to sources, the committee informed participants that another referendum would be held after constitutional amendments if the changes involved fundamental provisions.
Journalists urged the committee to ensure that constitutional reforms were based on national consensus and that opposition parties were brought into discussions by creating maximum trust.
The committee responded that it would make its best efforts to bring opposition parties into the process.
It also expressed hope that although opposition parties were not joining the committee’s discussions, they would participate after the amendment bill was placed in parliament.
Jamaat, NCP and other opposition parties have been demanding full implementation of the referendum verdict and the formation of a Constitutional Reform Council.
They did not nominate representatives to the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendments because BNP did not agree to form the reform council.
Earlier, they said they stayed away from the 11-party alliance’s dialogue because their demand was constitutional reform, not amendments.
According to them, the authority given to MPs through elections and the authority granted to a reform council through a public referendum are not the same.
Speaking to TIMES on Sunday evening, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair said, “When more than two-thirds of the country’s people have expressed their opinion on the July Charter through a referendum, the idea of holding another referendum is ridiculous. The people of the country will not accept another referendum.”
NCP Joint Convener and Political Council member Sarwar Tusher told TIMES, “The people have already given their verdict through the referendum. BNP is now taking an illegal and authoritarian decision by using the power of a two-thirds majority in parliament.”
Although Salahuddin Ahmed urged opposition parties to join the discussions, Tusher said they remained firm in their decision not to participate.
He said opposition parties would continue various programmes, including a long march, demanding implementation of the July Charter and the referendum verdict.
After the meeting, Salahuddin told reporters that a referendum would be held if fundamental changes were made to the Constitution’s preamble, Article 142 or related constitutional provisions.
Based on the committee report, the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry would prepare the amendment bill, which could be placed in the first session of parliament next January.
After parliament passes the amendments, matters requiring a referendum would be put before voters. The president would sign the amendments only after they received approval through the referendum.
Explaining the referendum process, Salahuddin said there were generally two types of referendums – constitutional referendums and referendums on legal matters.
“A referendum on a legal matter can be called on a national basis. The Constitution does not contain any provision stating that a referendum cannot be held on matters other than a constitutional referendum,” he said.
The committee chairman also disclosed a proposal to include the caretaker government system under the constitutional referendum.
He said BNP had proposed bringing the caretaker government provision and two other articles under the referendum process. The proposal suggests that any future parliament seeking to amend these provisions would require approval from the people.
He added that any future changes to the relevant constitutional provisions would also have to be subject to a referendum. BNP has also proposed making referendums mandatory for such amendments.
