Govt has every right to campaign for 'yes' vote in referendum: Riaz

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Professor Ali Riaz today (17 January) said the government has every right to campaign for "Yes" vote in referendum on July National Charter, calling it a document that came "in exchange of blood".

"July Charter came through the shedding of blood by martyrs in the 2024 July mass uprising, as well as untold sufferings of families of those who were victims of enforced disappearance in more than 16 years," he said.

Riaz, who co-chaired the National Consensus Commission that drafted the charter, added in view of the backdrop of the uprising, "the interim government has every right to campaign in favor of a referendum based on this Charter".

He made the comments at a view exchange meeting at BIAM Auditorium in the capital as part of a nationwide campaign for a "Yes" vote in the referendum to be held simultaneously with the scheduled general elections on 12 February.

Riaz said the tears of mothers who lost children "shaped this July Charter" and called it the roadmap for the future.

He said lives sacrificed by young students, small business owners, and people from various strata of society have gone into making this Charter.

Riaz acknowledged that some quarters were raising questions about whether servants of the Republic could campaign in favour of a 'Yes' vot,e citing legal grounds.

"There is no prohibition anywhere in the Constitution, existing laws, or the RPO regarding this matter," he said.

Riaz said it was internationally recognised practice to seek support for a government proposal, adding different European nations held 48 referendums over joining the European Union since 1972 and in most cases the governments campaigned for "yes" vote.

He said it would be wrong to consider the incumbent administration as an ordinary caretaker government, as its moral foundation lay in sacrifices of 1,400 lives and wounds of thousands.

Riaz said the government was not imposing the July Charter as it was formulated through over nine months of discussions with over 30 political parties.

The CA's special assistant said that despite the formulation of the charter in consultation with political parties, the referendum was required since no political party fully represents all the people of the country.

Moreover, he said, it was essential to secure the consent of the country's vast segment of apolitical population having no political leaning.

"The second and most important reason is legal protection. Through this referendum, a specific mandate or authority is being granted to the upcoming 13th National Parliament to reform the Constitution," he said.

Riaz said the referendum is aimed at preventing "any future legal challenge questioning whether this Parliament actually had the jurisdiction to introduce such major constitutional reforms or amendments".

"If the people deliver a 'Yes' verdict in the referendum, the Parliament will have that authority, and the courts will not be able to raise questions about it," he said.

He further said the 13th National Parliament will function as a Constitutional Reform Council for the first 180 days.

During this period, it will incorporate the reforms of the July Charter into the Constitution.

Thereafter, it will perform its duties as a regular National Parliament, he said.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Monir Haider also spoke on the occasion with the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner, Md. Sharf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury in the chair.