No one-sided decision
PM says BNP needs to give JS its formula even if next 2 polls are held under caretaker system
"The Supreme Court already declared the caretaker government system illegal. If anything new has to be done, it has to be done through discussions in the parliament, and the opposition must come with its formula," the premier was quoted by a cabinet minister as saying.
The prime minister was briefing her council of ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting in Bangladesh Secretariat about the parliamentary special committee's recommendations for amending the constitution.
Informing the cabinet in detail about the recommendations, Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League said, "Nothing one-sided will be done."
The premier told the cabinet that discussions must be held if two more general elections are to be held under caretaker governments without involving the judiciary, in line with the Supreme Court's observation.
She questioned who will be the chief adviser to the caretaker government now after the Supreme Court's observation that judges should be kept out of the interim government.
"If we propose a name, they [BNP] will certainly oppose that person no matter whether he or she is neutral or even pro-BNP. Who will be the chief adviser -- a civil bureaucrat, a civil society member, or any other professional? So BNP will have to give its formula," Hasina was quoted as saying by cabinet members.
She also questioned what will be the format of the new type of caretaker government.
If the parliament says that the next two general elections can be held under a new formula then that has to be discussed, she said.
The door is still open for the opposition to place their formula, said the prime minister.
Hasina told the meeting that the case challenging the legality of the caretaker government system was not filed by AL, nor was it filed during its tenure.
"The case was filed during your [BNP's] tenure, so we have nothing to do with the issue after the judgment, and we can't be blamed for the cancellation of the caretaker government system," Hasina said.
She said her government wanted improvement of the caretaker government system since many untoward incidents took place during all caretaker regimes, and politicians were massively victimised under those untoward circumstances.
A coup was attempted during the tenure of Justice Habibur Rahman-led caretaker government in 1996; a massive number of government officials were transferred and put on special duties during Justice Latifur Rahman-led caretaker government in 2001; and a political crisis occurred in 2007 after Iajuddin Ahmed appointed himself as the chief adviser to a caretaker government, said the prime minister adding that those incidents were not at all pleasant for politics and politicians.
The premier also informed the meeting about the proposals for maintaining Islam's status as the state religion, allowing religion based political parties, and continuing to keep the Arabic phrase Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim above the preamble of the constitution. About the proposal for not scrapping those three provisions from the constitution she said the reality has changed in the 38 years since the enactment of the original constitution in 1972.
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