Consensus commission sends letters to political parties asking for their opinions on reforms

The Consensus Commission led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has sent letters to the political parties and asked them to provide their opinions on the recommendations made by the six reform commissions formed by the interim government.

The parties were asked to choose among three options - agree, partially agree and not agree – for each recommendation of the reform commissions, Samakal reported.

The letter has also provided five alternatives to choose from, which include reforms through an ordinance before the elections, reforms through a mass voting before elections, reforms through mass voting during elections, reforms through constituent assembly and reforms through constitutional amendment after the elections.

Monir Haider, special assistant to the CA and coordinator of the consensus commission, said, "The government has sent letters to the political parties asking for their opinions yesterday [5 March]. They have been given five alternatives and asked in which way they want the reforms. The political parties have been requested to reply within 13 March."

The July Charter will be drafted based on the consensus of the political parties on the recommendations of the reform commissions.

The government will bring reforms to the institutions which do not have any constitutional bindings, including police, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the public administration, if the political parties reach a consensus. 

The consensus commission has also asked the political parties whether the state institutions which are bound by the constitution, including the constitution, judiciary and electoral system, can be reformed through a mass voting.

The consensus commission has also asked the political parties if the mass voting can be held alongside the parliamentary elections. If the parties reach a consensus the reforms can be carried out by the next parliament after the elections, says the letter.

According to the political leaders, there are 254 recommendations in the reports of the reform commissions. The government has added three questions to each of these recommendations, and they have been asked to put a tick mark if they agree or partially agree while they have been told to answer in details if they disagree with the recommendations.

When asked about which party will provide what type of opinions, leaders of some political parties including BNP said they will not support such recommendations which will hinder or delay the elections.

Contacted, member of BNP's standing committee and chief of administration reform committee Salahuddin Ahmed said, "We are currently reviewing the recommendations made by reform commissions. It won't take much time, and we hope the review process will be finished within one or two days. We will inform about our opinion in a written format after that."