Government to begin crucial talks with political parties on reform proposals in February

The government has announced that it will start discussing key recommendations from the reform commissions with political parties in February.

This update came from a press briefing held on Wednesday, January 15, at Dhaka’s Foreign Service Academy, where several high-level advisers shared details with the media.

Professor Asif Nazrul, the Legal Adviser, and Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Adviser, jointly revealed the government‍‍`s timeline for these important discussions. 

Also present were Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, and Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.

Earlier in the day, around 11:30 AM, the heads and members of four significant reform commissions officially submitted their reports to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his office in Tejgaon, Dhaka. 

These commissions had been focusing on reforms in key areas, including the constitution, electoral system, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and police reform.

During the briefing, it was revealed that the commissions have been given an extra month to finish coordination and final preparations for their recommendations. 

However, all six reform commissions, including the two remaining ones—judicial reform and public administration reform—are expected to submit their full reports by the end of January.

The government had earlier made it clear that, after receiving the reports from the commissions, it would sit down with political parties to discuss the proposals. 

The goal is to find consensus on the recommendations, and those that are agreed upon will be put into action. 

The discussions with political parties will help determine how and when these reforms will be implemented.

When asked by journalists about when these discussions would begin, Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, 

“Since the commission heads have requested an additional month, they will meet to decide on their priorities. I believe formal discussions could start by mid-February. In fact, a process with the political parties has already started, as they have submitted their written opinions.”

Adding more detail, Legal Adviser Asif Nazrul said, “If the commissions finish their work sooner, it’s possible that the discussions may begin as early as the first week of February.”

The interim government, which took power after the July popular uprising, has been actively pushing for reforms in various sectors. 

As part of this effort, a total of 11 reform commissions were formed in two phases. In early October, six commissions were established to address reforms in the electoral system, police, judiciary, anti-corruption, public administration, and constitution. 

While the deadline for the judicial and public administration reform reports has been extended, the remaining four reports were handed over to the Chief Adviser today.

With February approaching, the government‍‍`s upcoming talks with political parties on these reform proposals are expected to be a pivotal moment in shaping the country‍‍`s future governance.