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Form of govt, Acting President's tenure may be discussed

BNP, AL meet tomorrow

By Moinuddin Naser
The BNP and the Awaml League will sit together tomorrow to try to resolve some tricky issues prior to the inaugural session of parliament on April 5.
According to sources, representatives of the BNP and the Awami'League parliamentary parties will meet to decide the issues Wednesday at Parliament House. The two parties are also scheduled to hold two separate meetings of their respective parliamentary parties on the day at the Parliament House.
BNP chairperson and Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia. talking to the Daily Star on Sunday, also hinted at possible parleys with the other opposition parties to decide certain Issues.
General Secretary of the Awaml League Sajeda Chowdhury also told The Daily Star that they would like to sit together along with all the components of the three alliances to discuss the major political issues, including their Joint Declaration.
A section of the political leaders and administrative officials have been attempting to narrow down the differences
between the Awaml League and the BNP on some major issues. Including the form of government. The Five-Party alliance leaders also tried to arrange a dialogue between the two parties. The Awaml League. It Is' learnt, agreed to sit in the meeting but the BNP reportedly declined to sit for any dialogue that had the question of the form of government on its agenda. The BNP leader said that the issue should be debated on the floor of the parliament.
Later, after formation of the council of ministers on March
20. the BNP consented to discuss issues other than the form of government with the Awaml League.
Some of the other Issues include whether the Acting President would be allowed to continue in his office till the holding of the next presidential election, whether the outgoing Speaker Shamsul Huda Chowdhury would be allowed to preside over the election of a new Speaker on April 5 and also discussion on the inaugural speech by the Acting President in Parliament. Concerned quarters told The Dally Star that both the BNP and the Awaml League would like to see Justice Shahabuddln Ahmed continue in his present position for some time yet, though for wholly different reasons.
The BNP would like to hold the presidential election under the Acting President to give it a cover of neutrality. On the other hand, the Awami League would like the Acting President to handover power to a parliament, to which the government would remain accountable. And by their interpretation. an accountable government is a parliamentary government. However, such a transfer of power by the Acting President may be delayed.
On the question of acceptability of the outgoing Speaker s presiding over the inaugural session, the two parties would probably like to take a common stand on the issue on Wednesday.
In the proposed meeting, an Awami league source told The Dally Star that the party
would place a formal proposal before the BNP to bring a bill changing the form of government to a parliamentary one.
Meanwhile, the Awami League MPs who participated in the orientation programme at the parliament on Monday^ also reportedly tried to impress upon the BNP MPs on this issue.
Awami League MP Asaduzzaman. who had played an active role attempting to revert to parliamentary system during the Third Parliament in 1987 as secretary of the Awaml League parliamentary party. In his speech at the orientation course Monday emphasized the need for a parliamentary form of government for the country.
However, the BNP MPs attending the course did not make any remarks.
The sources told The Star that If the proposal of the Awami League is not accepted by the BNP the party would move a resolution on a bill amending the constitution on a private members' day.