Final Report on Constitutional Amendment by December.

Final Report on Constitutional Amendment by December. Syed Bashir Ahmed, Chief Reporter. The special committee on constitutional amendment is set to table its final report in Parliament by this coming December. Following this, the 18th Amendment Bill will be introduced based on the discussions held, stated Home Minister and Committee Chairman Salahuddin Ahmed. He made these remarks on Sunday (September 20) at a press conference held at the National Parliament's Media Center following the committee's second meeting. The Home Minister said, "We wish to proceed very rapidly." "A meeting will be held every week. We hope to conclude discussions and finalize the report by the end of December." Subsequently, based on that report, the constitutional amendment bill will be introduced in Parliament through the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs. Regarding the participation of political parties in the meeting, he noted, "We had invited the 26 political parties that signed the 'July National Charter'." "Of these, 15 parties participated in person with their representatives. The AB Party submitted a written statement, and while leaders of the Jatiya Ganafront could not attend at the last minute due to family illness, they expressed their support over the phone. However, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP have not yet participated in this committee." Change in Fiscal Year and Bicameral Parliament. Speaking on structural changes to the constitution, Salahuddin Ahmed stated, "We are committed to reforming the existing governance system, elections, judiciary, public administration, and policing. This includes the issue of changing the budget or fiscal year. To ensure the smooth completion of development projects and prevent waste, the government has decided to set the fiscal year from April 1 to March 31, replacing the current July-June cycle. Implementing this requires a constitutional amendment." Furthermore, outlining the framework for a bicameral parliament (Upper House), he mentioned that many parties agree on forming an Upper House with 100 members. "It will not be elected directly by the public; instead, it will be composed of eminent personalities from various professions and backgrounds, selected in proportion to the seats held in Parliament. However, this Upper House will not possess the authority to amend the constitution."Note of Dissent’ and the Mandate Addressing the ‘notes of dissent’ (differing opinions) expressed by certain parties regarding the July Charter, the committee chairman stated that the issues subject to such dissent were clearly outlined in the election manifesto, upon which the government secured a public mandate. He affirmed that these measures would be implemented in accordance with that mandate and the promises made to the people. Noting the propaganda circulating which claims that the BNP opposes reforms due to its majority status the Home Minister dismissed the allegation as entirely false. He reiterated that the July National Charter would be implemented to the letter, exactly as signed. No Risk of Future Amendments Being Overturned, Responding to journalists' queries about whether this constitutional amendment might face legal challenges in the future, Salahuddin Ahmed stated that the notion that amendments require a reform commission to avoid legal challenges or that the constitution's basic structure cannot be altered is incorrect. He emphasized that the constitution is not an immutable document meant to remain unchanged for all time; rather, it evolves in response to societal needs. He further explained that if a political party forms a government with a public mandate and secures a two-thirds majority in parliament, it possesses the authority to amend any provision of the constitution to meet public demand. He pointed out that constitutions in many countries around the world have been amended over a hundred times. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed expressed optimism that, even though opposition parties are currently not in parliament, they would participate in the proceedings when the constitutional amendment bill is introduced.