Curbing executive power will disrupt governance: Salahuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has warned that weakening the executive branch’s authority would upset the balance required to govern the state effectively.

He made the remark on Monday during the 20th day of the second phase of the National Consensus Commission’s dialogue with political parties, held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

Salahuddin temporarily walked out of the dialogue but later rejoined the discussion.

The BNP leader stated that his party was extending full cooperation with the initiatives of the interim government in the move to amend the constitution to ensure that autocracy or fascism can never return to the country.

“It was we who proposed that no one should serve more than 10 years as prime minister, and that proposal has been accepted. We also proposed that a neutral search committee, comprising representatives from the ruling party, the opposition, and the judiciary, be formed to appoint the election commission. This has also been accepted,” he stated.

Salahuddin further said, “We have also proposed that if the caretaker government system is reinstated, any amendment passed later by parliament must go to a referendum before being approved by the president. The acceptance of this proposal is a major step toward ensuring political stability in the country’s future.”

Despite this progress, the BNP standing committee member expressed concerns over proposals to curtail the executive’s authority.

“The executive branch must be accountable—both to parliament and to the people. But if it is given responsibility and accountability without the authority to act, then it will not be sufficient for effective governance,” he observed.

He cautioned that tying the hands of the executive in appointing constitutional and statutory bodies could hinder future governance. “To meet public expectations, the executive must be empowered, not weakened.”

The BNP representative stressed that their party was participating in the dialogue with constructive intent. But he also noted that choosing not to participate, or expressing dissent where there is fundamental disagreement, is also a part of democratic expression.

Salahuddin Ahmed expressed, “No one has claimed that unanimity on every issue will be established. Dissent and differing opinions are part of the democratic struggle.”

He further said, “We do not believe anyone should be forced into consensus through a note of dissent. True consensus means moving forward together. There also remains the question, without the BNP’s participation, how can national consensus be truly established?”

He concluded by affirming that BNP will continue to engage in future rounds of the dialogue and remain open to meaningful discussion.

The BNP did not participate in discussions on the Commission’s proposals regarding appointments to the Public Service Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, and the Ombudsman.

National Consensus Commission’s vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz introduced the topic for discussion after 11:30 am. At that time, Salahuddin Ahmed stated that the BNP would not join that portion of the discussion.

Ali Riaz later said, “The BNP has conveyed they will not participate in this discussion. I cannot decide that there won’t be any discussion if a political party does not participate.”

Today’s session included participation from 30 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), and Ganosamhati Andolan.

Ali Riaz chaired the session that was moderated by Monir Haider, special assistant to the Chief Adviser.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, Emdadul Haque, Sofor Raj Hossain, Iftekharuzzaman, and Ayub Miah joined the discussion.