Unwise to pursue anything that could raise questions in future: Salahuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has emphasised giving priority to pragmatism over emotion in implementing the July National Charter.

No method should be pursued that might raise questions in the future, he said.

Referring to the demand for issuing a constitutional order to implement the July Charter, Salahuddin Ahmed made the remarks while speaking at the fourth founding anniversary of the Gono Odhikar Parishad at the Diploma Engineers Institute in the capital’s Kakrail area Sunday afternoon.

“The constituent power of the people will be expressed through a referendum. That is why parliament cannot go beyond it. If, at this stage, we become emotional and engage in political rhetoric about holding a referendum, or enforce various orders, then these actions may be questioned in the future. Instead, what must be ensured is that the July National Charter is implemented on the basis of unity among all,” Salahuddin Ahmed said.

Although the BNP and most other parties have signed the July Charter, differences of opinion have surfaced regarding its implementation process.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami wants the charter to be incorporated into the constitution through a constitutional order. The National Citizen Party (NCP), which has not yet signed the charter, has also made the same demand, saying it will sign only if the assurance of implementation is guaranteed.

Regarding the NCP and a few other parties’ decision not to sign, Salahuddin Ahmed said they had some demands, which were being discussed.

“It is hoped that there will be a fair resolution, after which they too will be able to sign. The July Charter will then become a historic document of political consensus, to which the political parties will be collectively committed to implementation,” he said.

Describing the elected parliament as the specific forum for implementing the July Charter, Salahuddin Ahmed said, “There is no major disagreement among the parties on this point.”

“To ensure that the national parliament is bound to implement the July Charter, a proposal or recommendation will be made by the National Consensus Commission to the government to establish a legal foundation for it. Once that is known, we will see what process they intend to follow,” he added.

The senior BNP leader argued, “Just as the July National Charter was signed with notes of dissent, when an obligation is created based on the people’s consent to implement that exact charter, no parliament or member of parliament will be able to deviate from it.”

Calling for the prioritisation of reality over emotion, Salahuddin Ahmed said, “Many, in the heat of emotion, say that the spirit of the people’s aspirations expressed in the July Uprising could empower revolutionary orders to be issued. These are emotional statements. The people’s aspirations are meant to be realised through the constitution. This government itself has been formed constitutionally, and the state continues to operate within the constitutional framework.”

Addressing the NCP, the BNP standing committee member said, “Discussions must be based on reality. No proposal should be made that could later be questioned. No order should be issued that could later be challenged. The entire process must be safeguarded so that no one can ever term it illegal, and that, even after 10 or 15 years, no one can take it to court on such grounds. A foundation of that nature must be established now. The hard-earned success must be advanced with utmost caution.”

The BNP leader urged everyone to remain united in order to prevent the return of “fascism.”

Presided over by Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque and conducted by its spokesperson Faruk Hasan, the event was also addressed by BNP standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Mia Golam Porwar, NCP member secretary Akhter Hossen, Khelafat Majlis secretary general Ahmad Abdul Kader, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis secretary general Jalaluddin Ahmed, Ganosamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki, AB Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju, Khelafat Andolon naib-e-amir Mujibur Rahman Hamidi, and Nagorik Oikya general secretary Shahidullah Kaiser.

Also present were BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury, BNP chairperson’s advisory council member Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote coordinator Fariduzzaman Farhad, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) spokesperson Rashed Pradhan, Revolutionary Workers Party politburo member Akbar Khan, NDP chairman Abu Taher, July Uprising labour leader Rubel Hossain, who lost his sight in the movement, martyr Miraj Hossain’s father Abdur Rob, Imam Hasan Bhuiyan’s brother Robiul Awal Bhuiyan, and martyr Golam Nafiz’s mother Nazma Akhtar.