Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Monday said the BNP government was committed to moving forward in line with the July Charter and urged people to have faith in its efforts.
“Have faith in us. We want to move forward towards that goal,” he said while speaking at a dialogue titled ‘Post-Election Bangladesh: Political Promises and Reality’ organised by the Centre for Governance Studies at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka.
Asaduzzaman said constructive criticism was necessary to keep the government on the right track.
“If you do not put us under pressure, we may lose our way. But the language and method of that pressure are also important,” he said.
He said there should be no restrictions on meetings and rallies by any political organisation unless its activities had been banned.
The law minister said the government was trying to bring about changes in the country’s political culture, although such changes could not be achieved overnight.
“We are trying to turn things around. The pace may be slow, but the process of change is underway,” he said.
Referring to an allegation of enforced disappearance, Asaduzzaman said the government was investigating the matter and had adopted a zero-tolerance policy.
On the National Human Rights Commission, he said its investigative powers would remain intact and that the government was working to establish a culture of accountability.
“Law is not a holy scripture. It can be changed,” he said.
The minister said the government wanted to establish a system in which no innocent person would suffer. He added that reasonable proposals for constitutional amendments would be considered in line with the July Charter.
“We want to move forward, not backward. We want to get out of the culture of enforced disappearances. We have some weaknesses, and we do not deny them. But we have to move forward considering the realities,” he said.
Asaduzzaman acknowledged that the government could make mistakes but said its intentions were clear.
“BNP wants to move forward along the path of the July Charter. Trust us, we want to move towards that goal,” he said.
Prime Minister’s political adviser Zahir Uddin Swapon said the mass uprising had taken place for reforms rather than a revolution.
“We clearly believe that there was an uprising here for reforms, not a revolution,” he said, stressing the need for political consensus to advance the reform process.
Swapon said the lack of political consensus had created various challenges and that political stakeholders needed to remain engaged to implement the 31-point reform framework.
He said the government was considering the views of all stakeholders and that reforms could not be completed without consensus. He also stressed that Bangladesh-first principles should guide the country’s foreign policy.
Jatiya Party secretary general Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary said reforms would not be effective without strengthening national unity and identity.
He called for a national dialogue on judicial appointments, the judicial process and foreign policy, with national interests given priority.
National Citizen Party joint member secretary Faridul Haq criticised the renaming of the Rapid Action Battalion, saying that merely changing the name of an institution would not be enough to break away from the culture of authoritarianism.
NCP joint convenor Monira Sharmin said politicians had regained public trust and warned against undermining it.
“The people have given their verdict in the referendum, and the BNP has to implement it,” she said.
Khelafat Majlis secretary general Dr Ahmad Abdul Kader said remaining in power for five years could not be the ultimate goal of a government. He called for implementation of the referendum verdict to prevent the resurgence of authoritarianism.
Gono Forum president Subrata Chowdhury said people were now more aware than before and could easily identify shortcomings in government performance.
Rashtra Songskar Andolon joint general secretary Didar Bhuiyan raised the issue of not being granted permission to hold a rally, saying that the BNP might have a different interpretation of the expectations that had emerged for rebuilding the country.
The dialogue was moderated by CGS president Zillur Rahman and attended by political leaders, lawyers, journalists, human rights activists and civil society representatives.
At the beginning of the programme, Zillur Rahman said voters had cast their ballots based on the election manifestos of political parties.
He said public expectations had been shaped by the promises made by political parties and urged the government to fulfil its manifesto commitments.
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