In its dialogue with the National Consensus Commission on Tuesday, the Nagarik Oikya iterated its opposition to the Constitutional Reform Commission-proposed bicameral legislature but agreed to 100 reserved seats for women in the parliament.
The reform commission has proposed a lower house consisting of 300 members directly elected by majority votes and an additional 100 women members through direct election from among聽 only women candidates.
Nagarik Oikya presidium member Zinnur Chowdhury Dipu said at a post-dialogue press briefing, 鈥楬owever, we have recommended that women members for the reserved 100 seats should be elected in the procedure of proportional representation as per the existing tradition.鈥�
NCC vice-chairman Professor Ali Riaz chaired the dialogue between the NCC and the Nagarik Oikya at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban鈥檚 LD Auditorium. The dialogue began at 3:00pm and continued for three hours.
Talking to journalists, Dipu added that his party still opposed relaxing the minimum age for an eligible parliamentarian from 25 to 21years and any change in the fundamental principles of the existing constitution.
The reform commission has proposed equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism and democracy as the fundamental principles in place of secularism, socialism and nationalism.
鈥榃e told the NCC that changing the Bangla name of the country, as proposed, is unnecessary,鈥� Dipu added.
He said his party鈥檚 dialogue with the NCC would need one more day to wrap up discussions on the reform proposals on the electoral process, judiciary, public administration and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The NCC launched its dialogues with registered political parties on March 20 with the aim of reaching a consensus on the reform proposals recommended by five reform commissions.
Besides the Nagarik Oikya, the NCC held dialogues with the Liberal Democratic Party, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Labour Party, Rashtra Sangskar Andolan and Amar Bangladesh Party until Tuesday.
Earlier, on March 5, the NCC sent a 166-point questionnaire to 38 political parties, aiming to gather their opinions on the proposed reforms by March 13. Till Tuesday, 29 political parties submitted their opinions.
Today, the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh and Gana Adhikar Parishad are scheduled to share their opinions with the NCC, said a press release.
