Bangladesh’s future political course must be shaped in line with the aspirations of the people and the national will if the country is to achieve a sustainable democratic system, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Saturday. Speaking at a seminar in Dhaka, he stressed the need for broad political consensus and dialogue among all stakeholders, including opposition parties, to determine the country’s direction and to introduce reforms that would prevent the re-emergence of authoritarian rule.
A Seminar on Constitutional Crisis and BAKSAL
Mr Ahmed made the remarks at a seminar titled “Constitutional Crisis in Post-Independence Bangladesh and BAKSAL”, held at the July Memorial Museum in the capital on October 31. According to The Business Standard, citing United News of Bangladesh, it was the first in the museum’s “Democratic Journey” seminar series. The session was chaired by Ehsan Mahmud, the museum’s director general, while Asif Nazrul, a former Law Adviser to the interim government, delivered the keynote speech. Firoz Ahmed, a former member of the Constitution Reform Commission, and Supreme Court lawyer Habibur Rahman also took part in the discussion.
How the Minister Traced the Country’s Political History
The minister argued that although the Constitution had laid down clear provisions for running the state after independence, the introduction of a one-party system through BAKSAL in 1975 paved the way for a constitutional crisis and authoritarian rule. He added that the abolition of the caretaker government system through the 15th Amendment in 2011 was a major factor behind what he described as the erosion of democracy and the rise of fascist forces in the period that followed.
In his account, this political course eventually led to the July mass uprising of 2024, when students and people from different walks of life united to bring down the authoritarian regime. It was from that experience, he suggested, that the present government draws its sense of what the country’s future political course must avoid. Mr Ahmed, who serves as home minister in the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, said constitutional reforms should reflect the aspirations of the July mass uprising and the expectations of the younger generation.
Watchdog Institutions and Checks on Power
A central theme of the address was the creation of institutional safeguards. The minister said one of the government’s key goals was to establish effective watchdog institutions to protect democracy. These include ensuring judicial independence, maintaining an impartial Election Commission, introducing a permanent legal framework for a caretaker government system and safeguarding press freedom. The aim, he said, was to ensure that no individual or government could exercise unchecked power.
On judicial reform, Mr Ahmed said that the independence of the judiciary alone was not enough and that accountability was also necessary to ensure that no institution of the state could wield unchecked authority. According to Bangladesh Pratidin, he said state institutions must be strengthened through constitutional amendments, with checks and balances and accountability built in, so that no authoritarian or fascist government could come to power again.
Calling for Political Consensus
The minister repeatedly returned to the importance of political consensus. He said that constitutional amendments grounded in agreement among parties would serve the nation best, and he urged dialogue among all stakeholders, including opposition parties, on various reform proposals. Those mentioned included the introduction of an upper house, proportional representation in elections and the holding of referendums. Bangladesh Pratidin reported that he also called on the opposition to join the reform committee to discuss constitutional changes, including the establishment of an upper house in parliament.
Mr Ahmed said the government had no intention of pursuing political vendettas or creating divisions. He called instead for unity among political parties and the people, adding that broad political consensus, guided by the spirit of the July mass uprising and the aspirations of the younger generation, was essential to building a democratic and prosperous Bangladesh.
What the Remarks Signal
The speech sets out the government’s stated framework for the debate on constitutional reform, which centres on restoring a caretaker system in permanent form, strengthening oversight bodies and widening the circle of consultation to include the opposition. Whether opposition parties accept the invitation to join the reform committee, and whether the proposals on an upper house, proportional representation and referendums find common ground, will largely determine whether the minister’s call for consensus translates into agreed constitutional change. For now, the remarks offer an early indication of how the government intends to approach that task, and of the principle it has placed at the centre of it: that the nation’s future political course must rest on the will of its people.
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