Provision must ensure no law contradicting national charter can be passed: Justice MA Matin

A provision must be made so that no law can be passed that contradicts the National Charter, to be formulated in the spirit of the July uprising and founded on national consensus, SUJAN (Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik) acting president Justice MA Matin has said.

Speaking at a citizen dialogue held at the Krishibid Institute in Dhaka's Khamarbari area this morning (26 July), Justice Matin said, "The national charter was framed based on popular aspirations and the consensus of political parties after the mass uprising. Therefore, it must be mandated that no law can contradict it. For example, if the charter stipulates that a High Court bench will be established outside Dhaka, that must become law."

Speaking at the event, SUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said, "Even though Sheikh Hasina is no longer in power, she has left behind an authoritarian system. Unless we reform this system, authoritarianism will persist and the rights of citizens will not be guaranteed."

"We must advance on the correct path to state reform, and the national charter is central to that. SUJAN's proposed charter will be submitted to the National Consensus Commission. We hope everyone will be sincere in implementing the July Charter," he added.

"We have divided the reforms into two categories - some can be implemented through ordinances, others through constitutional amendments. The National Consensus Commission is engaging in dialogue with political parties on key issues to ensure broad agreement for drafting the July Charter. These include proposals such as forming an upper house of Parliament with members elected via proportional representation, and ensuring transparent appointment procedures in constitutional and statutory bodies," Badiul further said.

Praising SUJAN's initiative, BNP leader Shama Obaid said, "Even when many voices were silenced over the past 15 years, SUJAN continued to speak out. I thank them for conducting public opinion surveys and drafting the proposed National Citizen Charter."

She added, "There are many similarities between SUJAN's national charter and the BNP's 31-point reform agenda. I believe that before any political reform, we must reform our democratic institutions, including the judiciary and the Anti-Corruption Commission. Political reform alone is not enough — implementation requires genuine commitment from political parties and elected governments."