Referendum cannot enact laws or amend constitution: Salahuddin Ahmed

It must be remembered that a referendum, in itself, cannot enact laws; nor can the constitution be amended through a referendum alone, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said on Friday.

According to him, a national parliament must first be constituted for that.

Salahuddin Ahmed made these remarks at a programme held in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital on Friday.

A silent march and rally, titled “Escalating Violence and Disrespect Against Women: Vigilant Women’s Ready to Resist”, was organised by the Women and Children Rights Forum.

The upcoming Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election and the referendum on the implementation of the July National Charter will be held on the same day.

Chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus announced the decision in his address to the nation on Thursday. Salahuddin Ahmed welcomed this decision.

He reiterated that the BNP is committed to upholding the July National Charter in the spirit in which it was originally signed. In this context, he said that if any additional or coercive proposals were imposed from outside the Charter, the people would judge those accordingly.

Salahuddin Ahmed further stated that the BNP will remain vocal in upholding the sovereignty of parliament. “We do not want, under any circumstances, the sovereignty of Bangladesh’s national parliament to be undermined,” he said. “Therefore, we will not allow any imposed law, order, or coercive proposal to infringe upon the parliament’s sovereign authority.”

The BNP leader also criticised a particular political party for using religion as a political tool for profit. According to him, women are being subjected to oppression at the hands of that party.

“They want women in this country to remain confined within the household; they want half of the nation to remain in darkness. They do not want the advancement or progress of women. That is why they say working hours must be reduced. But reducing working hours will reduce women’s employment opportunities,” he remarked.

He asserted that women must work based on merit and skill. “There is an inverse relationship between decreasing working hours and employment. If women’s working hours are reduced, employers will be less inclined to hire them. This will further reduce women’s employment scope. Thus, those who advocate reduced working hours for women do not have good intentions.”

The rally was presided over by BNP standing committee member and convener of the Women and Children Rights Forum, Selima Rahman.

She said they had hoped that, following the July mass uprising, the situation of women facing murder and rape over the past 17 years would improve and women would regain their dignity.

“But sadly, women are once again being pushed into darkness. Attempts are being made to reduce women’s working hours to force them back into the home. Therefore, women must continue their struggle to reclaim their rights. Women must raise their voices in unison to restore their dignity,” Selima Rahman stated.

The programme was conducted by Women and Children Rights Forum member secretary Nipun Roy Chowdhury.

She expressed that through this programme, they were signalling that if any crisis is created concerning women’s rights, the entire women’s community of the country will rise up.

She then led the slogan: “Not five but eight — who are you to dictate?”

Bangladesh public service commission (PSC) member Chowdhury Saima Ferdous remarked that whether a woman chooses to work outside or remain at home is entirely her personal decision.

“Women’s rights are human rights. Women do not need charity, pity or benevolence. Whether women manage the household or work outside is solely a matter of their personal freedom. Let women make their own decisions,” she said.

Professor Nahrin Islam Khan of Jahangirnagar University noted, “Men are our comrades, not our enemies. Alongside the female, the men who fall victim to cyberbullying — I stand by them as well.”

She said that women reject the July Charter because it does not mention women. “Economic growth is not real development. Real development is when a woman can return home safely at night,” she added.

Sanjida Islam, coordinator of Maayer Dak, said that despite seeing change during the mass uprising, the present social situation once again places women in circumstances where they now hear proposals to reduce their working hours to five hours.

“A patriarchal society is still not speaking out strongly against violence towards women,” she said.

Speaking at the programme, Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) research and publications affairs secretary, Sanjida Ahmed Tonni, said that whether in politics, in the family, or in any other sphere, whenever women attempted to speak, they faced harassment; whether over their personal lives, ideologies, or clothing.

She said women must speak up to stop violence against them.

Former MP Bilkis Islam, Nilufa Chowdhury, Shirin Sultana, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal joint secretary Mansura Alam, vice-president Rehana Akhter, and others also addressed the programme.