Bangladesh, which is still experiencing the tremors of its ousted PM Sheikh Hasina's departure, is planning to bring bold changes in its constitution that include the removal of the concepts of secularism, socialism, and nationalism. A Constitution Reform Commission submitted the report on Wednesday (Jan 15) having the proposal to the interim supremo Muhammad Yunus.
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The commission was formed by Yunus after the removal of Hasina's administration. It further suggested introducing a bicameral parliament (a form of legislation having two different assemblies) for the nation along with limiting a prime minister's tenure to only two terms. The proposed setup will have a lower house named the National Assembly and an upper house named the Senate. They will have 105 and 400 seats respectively.
Secularism, socialism, and nationalism are three principles among the four termed “fundamental principles of state policy” in Bagladeh's constitution. The fourth one, democracy, will stay the same.
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“We are proposing five state principles — equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism, and democracy, for reflection of the great ideals of the 1971 Liberation War and the people’s aspiration during the 2024 mass upsurge,” commission chairman Ali Riaz said in a video statement, news agency PTI reported.
The commission said that both the proposed houses should serve four-year terms and not five years as practised at present. It added that the lower house should be based on majority representation while the upper house should be on proportional representation. It justified the proposal, saying the absence of an institutional power balance and the concentration of authority in Hasina's administration were the reasons behind the “autocratic authoritarianism" in Bangladesh.
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Riaz said in his statement that the introduction of a referendum system for amending the constitution is also in the proposal. Currently, the parliament has the power to amend the constitution, given that it has a two-thirds majority.
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(With inputs from agencies)