Akhtar Hossain, member secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has said that there are doubts over whether the July Charter would be fully implemented
He made the comment on Friday during a press conference at the party’s temporary central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka, where the NCP shared its formal reaction to the implementation order of the July Charter.
Akhtar said the party had expected the government to remove ambiguities and outline a clear and precise method for implementing the July Charter. Previously, if the charter was not implemented within a specified timeline, there was an automatic provision for falling back under the Constitution.
Although the new order specifies a 180-day period, he said it remains unclear what consequences the government would face if it fails, or whether these provisions would be incorporated into the Constitution.
The NCP member secretary said many aspects of the referendum have been left to the discretion of political parties, calling for a clear explanation.
He added that some reforms have been downgraded in importance and placed under the judgement of political parties. The referendum has also been divided into several segments, rather than treating all reforms uniformly.
Expressing concern, he said that various groups want to see the July Charter include a “note of dissent”. If this happens, any party that gains power in the future may be able to promote its own interpretation of these dissenting notes.
He demanded clarification on whether such notes of dissent would apply to appointments to constitutional bodies under a caretaker government or under the July Charter framework.
He further said that the phrase “other constitutional institutions” in the referendum is not clearly defined.
He questioned why political parties have been given the option to amend issues such as whether a prime minister can hold multiple positions, even after public opinion is sought through the referendum.
Although there is broad agreement on transforming the Anti-Corruption Commission into a constitutional body, he said it is still unclear whether that reform will be included.
