Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said to the interim government proposing reforms in the country’s government structure, that the same person cannot be the head of government (prime minister), party leader and parliament leader at the same time in order to be neutral and free from conflict of interest. That he cannot serve as Prime Minister for more than two terms.
On Wednesday (August 28) at TIB’s Dhanmondi office in the capital, the executive director of the organization Dr. Iftekharuzzaman.
Executive Director of TIB at the press conference. Iftekharuzzaman said, “In order to run the Parliament in a neutral and conflict of interest free manner, the Speaker as the guardian of the Parliament must be free from party influence and avoid conflicts of interest and conduct all activities of the Parliament.” The Deputy Speaker should be elected from the opposition party in the Parliament, and in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the members of the opposition party included in the presidium should be given the opportunity to perform their duties as Speaker.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman also said, ‘To ensure the accountability of the executive department, including the public important parliamentary standing committees (Public Accounts; Law, Justice and Parliament; Finance; Commerce; Home Affairs; Power, Energy and Minerals; Ministry of Defence) at least 50 percent of the committees are from among the opposition parliamentarians. President to be elected. Conflict of interest must be avoided in all activities of the Parliamentary Standing Committee. In the parliamentary system, the representation of the diverse population such as the youth, women, tribals and other marginalized groups should be ensured in the nomination of candidates for parliamentarians. There should be at least one-third youth representatives in the nomination of political parties in the elections.
The TIB also demanded the introduction of a party-neutral electoral interim government system for the National Assembly elections to ensure free, fair, impartial and participatory elections.
Calling for ensuring peace and order, public security and administrative normality, the Executive Director of TIB said, ‘Ensure nationally and internationally acceptable accountability with the direct participation of the United Nations for all those responsible for direct and order crimes for multi-dimensional human rights violations including unprecedented loss of life; It is important to ensure due process of law so as not to question the judicial process.
