6 reform commissions gazette awaiting notification

The six reform commissions, the interim government has formed, will begin their work soon and the names of the heads of these commissions have already been announced.

The names of the members are nearly finalised as well.

A notification in this regard is expected to be issued within a day of two, according to reliable sources within the government.

Meanwhile, before the reform commissions start working in full swing, the interim government will hold another round of discussions with political parties, Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to the chief adviser, said.

He also indicated that these discussions would take place very soon.

During a press conference held on Monday evening at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, in response to a question from journalists, Shafiqul Alam mentioned that the commissions were supposed to start work on Tuesday. However, a decision was made that the advisory council wants to engage in further discussions with the political parties.

Sources in the government said that the process of forming the six reform commissions is at its final stage, with a notification expected to be issued within a day or two.

The names of the members of the commissions have also nearly been finalised. No beneficiaries of the ousted government have been included as members of the commissions in light of the students’ movement.

The commissions are expected to submit their reports by 31 December. 

The advisory council of the interim government will discuss the recommendations from the reports with political parties, after which there will be a consultative meeting that will represent all sections of society.

This is how the government plans to finalise the reform framework.

According to reliable government sources, the interim government may soon hold discussions with the political parties on various issues. Topics such as the work of the reform commissions and the smooth celebration of the upcoming Durga Puja could be on the agenda.

In his speech to the nation on 11 September, chief adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus announced the formation of six commissions to reform the electoral system, police, judiciary, public administration, the constitution, and the anti-corruption efforts.

Badiul Alam Majumdar will head the electoral reform commission, Safar Raj Hossain will lead the police reform commission, justice Shah Abu Naeem Mominur Rahman will head the judiciary reform commission, Iftekharuzzaman will lead the anti-corruption reform commission, Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury will head the public administration reform commission.

Besides, initially prominent lawyer Shahdeen Malik was announced as the head of the constitutional reform commission, but later he was replaced by professor Ali Riaz.

According to the interim government’s announcement, the commissions were set to begin their work Tuesday.

When asked about this, Badiul Alam Majumdar, the head of the electoral reform commission, said on Monday night that he is waiting for the official notification to start work.

Sources at the housing and public works ministry revealed that each reform commission is determining its own office within their respective ministries.

For instance, the office for the judiciary reform commission has been allocated in Block 1 of the MP Hostel at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament).

In response to a question, press secretary Shafiqul Alam mentioned that the 6th paragraph of the Reuters report stated that following the reforms, it was mentioned for a period of 18 months... The determination of whether this period will be 16 months, 18 months, 12 months, or six months will be made by the people of Bangladesh.

When asked about the timing of the elections during Monday’s press conference, Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to the chief adviser, stated that world leaders did not inquire about the timeline for elections during the chief adviser’s visit to the US.

The timing will depend on the reports from the commissions and subsequent political discussions, which will clarify when the elections will be held.

The issue of the interview with army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman was also asked during the press conference.

In response to a question, the press secretary reiterated that the 6th paragraph of the Reuters report discussed the period following the reforms, noting that it is up to the people of Bangladesh to decide whether it will be 16 months, 18 months, 12 months, or six months.

The press secretary stated that the exact timing cannot be determined right now—whether it will be in 16 months, 12 months, or eight months is still uncertain.

He believes the army chief was providing his opinion on the matter.