The National Citizen Party called on former chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and other advisers to the previous interim government to denounce the current government’s moves to repeal several ordinances introduced during the interim government.
NCP convener and opposition whip Nahid told reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after returning from Umrah on Saturday that the reforms initiated under the interim government must be defended through public mobilisation, urging Professor Yunus and former advisers to join street movements.
‘We had entrusted the interim government with power through sacrifice,’ he said, adding, ‘while there has been disappointment, whatever reform gains were achieved must now be protected.’
A parliamentary special committee on Thursday placed its report in Jatiya Sangsad in which it recommended that 16 particular ordinances, including those on enforced disappearance, referendum, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Human Rights Commission, and the Police Commission, should not be approved.
The parliamentary body, formed to review 133 ordinances promulgated during the interim government period, further recommended scrapping of four ordinances, three of which are on Supreme Court judges’ appointment and establishing a separate Supreme Court secretariat.
Regarding the remaining 113 ordinances, it recommended that 98 be introduced in their existing form and 15 in amended form by the respective ministries.
Nahid described the current political tensions surrounding reform efforts as unsurprising, noting that divisions had emerged following the events of August 5 and subsequent discussions within the consensus-building process.
He said that his party had pushed for sweeping constitutional changes, while the BNP prioritised elections without altering existing structures.
Criticising the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Nahid alleged that the BNP, after securing a two-thirds parliamentary majority, was disregarding prior public mandates.
He claimed that the government was shelving key ordinances instead of converting them into law.
According to Nahid, such moves risk consolidating excessive executive power and undermining democratic accountability.
‘This reflects a broader resistance to reform,’ he said, adding that public confidence in the government could erode further amid looming economic challenges.
The NCP leader warned that failure to resolve the issue within parliament would force opposition groups to intensify street protests.
He reiterated calls for the formation of a constitutional reform council and demanded that all pending ordinances be enacted into law.
Nahid also urged former interim government advisers, including Yunus, to speak out against the repeal initiative.
‘They were responsible for introducing these ordinances. They cannot remain silent now as these measures are being scrapped,’ he said, accusing them of stepping away after facilitating a transfer of power.
