Eminent lawyer Barrister Rafiqul Huq has observed that future general elections without caretaker government will not be accepted by the people and the elections would not be meaningful without the BNP.
Rafiqul Huq made the remarks at a roundtable on 'People's Aspiration and Constitution' organised by Bangladesh Combined Profes-sional Council at National Press Club on Tuesday.
'The election will not be meaningful and people will not accept the election without BNP's participation,' he said.
Referring to the notion that Ershad would be the leader of the opposition if the BNP does not participate in the next elections, he said it was easy to say but reality was different.
Huq said even the Awami League would not want election without caretaker government if it did not want to make it fool.
He said the future elections would have to be free, fair and impartial under non-party caretaker government and all have to wait for full judgment of the Supreme Court that has scrapped the 13th amendment.
He said the caretaker government must be formed through democratic way.
About a provision of the15th amendment, Huq said it was against the rule of law that the rule of law could not be changed in the future. He said parliament was the supreme and sovereign to enact law which could not be curtailed.
Huq said one parliament could not restrict the function of another parliament. If one parliament makes an order the next parliament can change it, he added.
He said the constitution was not the Qur'an and it should be amended taking opinion of all. He recalled that the 4th amendment was passed by parliament with five minutes but it did not survive.
Huq said the 15th amendment was passed in 10 minutes and let see what happens to it.
Presided over by Combined Professional Council convenor Mahmudur Rahman, the roundtable was also addressed, among others, by former adviser of caretaker government MA Mazed, former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Emajuddin Ahmed, Jatiya Press Club general secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed and BNP leader Habibur Rahman Habib.
Mahmudur Rahman, also acting editor of the Daily Amar Desh, said parliamentary system had been destroyed through the 15th amendment and the people could not accept it. He demanded formation of constituent assembly through referendum for changing the constitution.
Source : New Age
