July charter: No objection to attending signing ceremony if pending issues resolved thru discussion, says Jamaat's Porwar
“The draft July charter should include a proposal for the proportional representation system in both houses and that the matter be put to a referendum. If the people accept it in a referendum, it must be accepted. If they reject it, that too must be accepted,” he says
There is no objection to attending Friday's July National Charter signing ceremony if pending issues around the charter can be settled through discussion, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said today (16 October).
He made the remarks at a seminar titled "Legal basis of the July National Charter, referendum and PR-based elections" held at the Diploma Engineers Institute in Dhaka's Kakrail.
The event was organised by the National Seminar Implementation Committee.
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Addressing the chief adviser, the Jamaat leader said, "The draft July charter should include a proposal for the proportional representation [PR] system in both upper and lower houses and that the matter be put to a referendum. If the people accept it in a referendum, it must be accepted. If they reject it, that too must be accepted."
"But how can you [government] ignore public opinion?" he asked.
Porwar also argued that holding a referendum and the national election on the same day would pose major problems and therefore opposed carrying out both in one day.
He urged that the referendum be held in November.
Porwar further alleged, "A couple of advisers of the interim government are secretly keeping ties with a particular party and attempting to mislead the chief adviser, thereby obstructing the democratic transition."
"After so much reform, what will be the gain if a design is already being drawn to let the state fall into one party's pocket? If the chief adviser does not notice now, then all our bloodshed, the uprising and the charter will be in vain," he warned.
Yesterday, after the meeting with the National Consensus Commission, the party's Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said there is "no uncertainty" about their participation in the charter signing ceremony.
"We will go to the signing ceremony. We do not see any uncertainty in this regard," he told reporters.
Taher said all issues related to the charter would be decided through a single, comprehensive referendum.
The signing ceremony of the July National Charter 2025 is scheduled to be held on 17 October at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka.
