Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday warned of fresh street demonstrations, accusing the government of insulting the public mandate by proposing constitutional “amendments” instead of the “reforms” approved in a national referendum.
Speaking at a press conference at the Jatiya Sangsad Media Centre on Wednesday evening, the Jamaat ameer explained that his alliance staged a walkout from Parliament in protest against the government’s move to bypass the people’s final verdict.
‘Govt deceiving people’
Shafiqur noted that a referendum was held following a consensus among political parties prior to the general elections.
According to the referendum’s outcome, elected lawmakers were also to be designated as members of the “Constitutional Reform Council” (Songbidhan Songskar Parishad) and were required to take two separate oaths.
However, members of the ruling party took the oath only as MPs, failing to swear in as members of the reform council.
Shafiqur further alleged that while the government was legally obligated to convene a meeting of the Reform Council within 30 days of the gazette notification, it failed to do so. This prompted the opposition to serve a formal notice to the Speaker.
He stated that during a discussion on Tuesday, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman bypassed the demand for reform and instead proposed forming a parliamentary special committee for constitutional “amendments.”
“We have stated clearly that reform and amendment are not the same; the government is deceiving the people,” Shafiqur said.
Legacy of July-August Uprising Recalling the “fascism” imposed on the public over the past 15.5 years, the Opposition Leader highlighted that 2,663 people were killed without trial, and over 250 individuals disappeared, many of whom remain missing.
He cited the existence of detention centres such as ‘Ayna-Ghor’, where individuals were held for up to nine years.
He emphasised that the July-August uprising and the subsequent constitutional reform initiatives were born out of a desire for liberation from such an inhumane system.
Future course of action
Regarding future programmes, Shafiqur clarified that while they have staged a walkout to honour the public’s verdict, they have not “given up” on Parliament.
“We will now return to the people,” he said, adding that his 11-party alliance will soon meet to determine their next course of action. He asserted that there is no alternative but to build a street movement to realise the demands of the people.
Senior leaders of the opposition alliance were also present at the briefing.
