1.All-party JS body soon for amending constitution: The Daily Star
Dhaka: Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina on Friday said the government will form an all-party parliamentary committee in two to four days in a bid to amend the constitution of the country.
At a meeting of the Awami League Central Working Committee at her official residence Ganobhaban, the premier said, "The committee will decide the total process of changing the constitution and the amendment process will start during the current (parliament) session."
"The government has taken this initiative in order to uphold the High Court’s verdict on the fifth amendment to the constitution," said Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League.
Emphasising the importance of the amendment, she said, "The amendment is essential as the military dictators distorted the constitution after 1975".
Expressing optimism, the premier said her government would be able to solve all the problems created over the seven years before she came to power in January 2009.
"The trial of the BDR mutiny would be completed in a transparent way," Hasina said about the bloodbath that killed 74 people, including 57 army officers, less than two months since the government was formed under her leadership.
Focusing on the increased pass rate in the Higher Secondary School examinations, Hasina said, "The government has already brought 1,600 educational institutions under MPO (monthly payment order) facilities."
"The government is going to set up 10 more government schools in the capital in order to ease the admission war," she added.
Addressing the meeting, Hasina also said the Awami League government has employed 1, 20,000 people during the last 18 months. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=24807
2.Awami League lawmaker, MK Alamgir, to lose JS seat
Dhaka: The Supreme Court has upheld the High Court order declaring legal the Election Commission’s decision to cancel Awami League lawmaker Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir’s candidature in the 2008 parliamentary election from Chandpur-1 constituency.
The full-bench Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim passed the judgment after dismissing the ruling party MP’s leave-to-appeal petition against the HC order.
The commission cancelled the candidature on grounds that Alamgir was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison in a graft case.
The apex court’s decision comes 11 days after it quashed the AL leader’s conviction.
The rationale behind yesterday’s SC order is that Alamgir had a conviction at the time the returning officer was examining his nomination papers, lawyers said.
The constitution says a person convicted and sentenced to jail for more than two years cannot stand for a parliamentary election unless five years have passed since he served out the sentence.
This is the first time that the Appellate Division has upheld EC’s decision canceling a person’s candidature on graft charges.
During the last caretaker government rule, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed the case against Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on charges of amassing wealth illegally and concealing information from the ACC.
On July 26, 2007, the Special Court-3 sentenced him to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for earning around Tk 3.27 crore through misuse of power, and three years in jail for withholding information about six fixed deposits worth Tk 1.17 crore. www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=146924
3.Grassroots AL leaders worried at party image: by Hasan Jahid Tusher, Daily Star, July 16
Dhaka: Grassroots level leaders of the ruling Awami League will urge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take tough action against those AL men including lawmakers, and Chhatra League and Jubo League leaders and activists who are destroying the image of both the party and the government through their activities.
They will also urge Hasina, president of AL, at a meeting of the party Central Working Committee to make the organisation more dynamic at all levels so that it can help the government implement its electoral pledges, a number of grassroots leaders told The Daily Star yesterday.
A stalemate in the activities of the ruling party has been witnessed across the country since it assumed power as lawmakers and their close associates in almost every constituency are controlling party matters, said leaders of different district units of the party.
The ALCWC will meet at the Gano Bhaban at 5:00pm today with the party chief in the chair. Hasina has asked presidents and general secretaries of all district units of the party to attend the meeting, and speak on the latest political situation in the country.
Party sources said the premier would listen to the grassroots level leaders to get first hand information on various matters including the government move to bring the war criminals to book. She may also learn from them about the performances of ministers and lawmakers in their respective areas.
The district AL leaders will also emphasis coordinated efforts of lawmakers, upazila chairmen and local leaders of the party to expedite the government’s development activities, party insiders said.
Asked about the issues to come up at today’s meeting, AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said an open discussion is likely on the country’s latest socio-economic and political situation, and organisational matters.
He also said the agenda includes finalising programmes for August 15, the day Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members was killed in 1975, and those for August 21. Twenty-four people were killed in Contacted, some other central leaders said issues like price hike of essentials, persisting power, gas and water crises, trial of war criminals, opposition BNP’s anti-government agitation and performance of ministers and lawmakers would also be discussed at the meeting.
"We will urge the party president to bring momentum in party activities and save it from the clutches of lawmakers and influential persons concerned," said Azadul Islam Azad, general secretary of Chuadanga district AL. He hailed the party chief’s initiative to talk to them.
"I will draw the prime minister’s attention to the need for steps to reduce the gap created between lawmakers and party leaders, and coordination between activities of the government and the party," said Azgar Ali, general secretary of Kushtia district AL.
He told this correspondent that he would make a proposal to the AL president to unite pro-Liberation War forces ahead of the trial of war criminals, and to make the party more vibrant.
Tangail district unit General Secretary Fazlur Rahman Faruk, Narail unit President Subhas Chandra Bose and Jhalakathi unit President Sardar Mohammad Shah Alam said they would urge the prime minister to control BCL with an iron hand.
Asked about today’s meeting, some other district unit leaders also said they would urge Sheikh Hasina to take stern action against those party men including lawmakers and BCL and Jubo League men who are involved in unlawful activities.
Some others said they will urge the prime minister to reshuffle the cabinet as some of the ministers are not performing properly.http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=146931
