BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has outlined her party’s Vision 2030, pledging to bring constitutional reforms to create a balance of power.
In a media briefing at the Westin Dhaka hotel, she said the prime minister’s sole executive power has resulted in a ‘dictatorship’.
“The BNP is of the opinion that the people of Bangladesh have been dispossessed of the ownership of the state that they had created through the great liberation war.
The BNP wants to hand over the lost ownership back to people.”
The 11th amendment that gave a big boost to the prime minister’s powers was drafted and passed in 1991 when Khaleda was heading the government.
The three-time prime minister said her party does not believe in a ‘one-day democracy.’
BNP does not want people’s power to be limited to just voting in election. Her party strives to give people authority to express public opinion, she said.
Khaleda emphasised the need for honesty and integrity in running administration and said the BNP takes those values seriously.
BNP will not make compromise with corruption, she said.
“In order to arrest the spread of corruption like a filthy wound, the rule of law, accountability and transparency shall be thoroughly implemented with procedural and legal reforms.”
“The office and position of the Ombudsman shall be created as per the constitution to ensure administrative accountability and transparency.”
“Bangladesh is now an unsecured and risky land. Even a child in the mother’s womb is not free from the claw of cruel crimes.”
“People seeking justice from the court are being denied justice.” “Courts are used to suppress the members of the opposition parties. A culture of impunity has engulfed the nation.”
She said parliament would be the centre-point of all national issues if her party came to power. The party would also examine whether an upper house of parliament can be established keeping the constitution intact.
Khaleda made the points of the plan under around 40 sectors ranging from democracy, nation building, defence, foreign policy, economy to tourism, sports and ICT.
Dozens of party activists tried to force their way into the ballroom as Khaleda arrived 25 minutes later than scheduled.
Khaleda has spelled out a series of steps to reform the justice system, promising to annul “black laws that pose” as the rule of law.
Justice seekers will know about the open information of the courts through electronic or online systems and mobile phone technology, she said.
A high-level judicial commission will be formed to reform the existing justice system, according to her vision paper.
Police in many instances do not entertain cases at the police stations, she said. “This is denial of justice.”
“The right to even justice in the criminal cases through proper protection of the law on the part of criminal justice seekers will be ensured through the use of online method and mobile technology.”
Here are some other salient points:
# Repeal of the Special Powers Act 1974 which has special measures for speedy trial and preventing certain prejudicial activities.
# Implementation of Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations
# A new law to set competence standards for appointment of judges through a select committee and supreme judicial council.
# A separate secretariat under the Supreme Court for controlling lower courts to be freed from the influence of the executives.
The police force will be built up in congruence with the spirit of a free and democratic society, she said.
The police will be turned into a force that revers the public through motivation, training and moral uprightness in an effort to create an accountable and welfare-oriented public administration.
The police will be turned into a skilled force in keeping with the fast-changing world and technological advancements.
Law-enforcement agencies will be freed from partisan influence, she said.
The BNP aims to transform Bangladesh into a high-middle-income country by 2030.
Per capita income should be upgraded to $5,000, she said.
In order to achieve this goal, the BNP will make ‘creative and intelligent’ efforts to boost annual growth to a double-digit figure.
The BNP plans to go for economic use of limited land resources to set up industries and will also adopt a development strategy of least-land-intensive modern service industries such as banking, insurance and financial service, hotel-restaurant, and IT industry.
Khaleda said the power and supervisory role of the central bank would be upgraded to ensure discipline in the financial sector of the country.
“In the backdrop of share market and bank plundering, capable, honest and efficient persons shall be appointed in the Security and Exchange Commission and in the board of directors of nationalised banks to stop further corruption in these sectors,” Khaleda said.
Political interference in the functioning of the financial institutions must be ended, according to her Vision 2030.
The banking division in the finance ministry will be abolished once her party comes to power, Khaleda said.
The central bank will be tasked with monitoring state banks, she said.
Speaking about the ICT sector, she said a ‘smart school’ would be established in every district so that these schools serve the purpose of model technology demonstrator.
