Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, editor of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN), stated that the referendum on the July National Charter was approved by the people and should be implemented fully. He criticized the delay in its execution and accused the BNP of presenting weak arguments regarding the note of dissent. He made these remarks on Wednesday at a roundtable discussion titled “Politics of Ordinance Repeal and Referendum Denial: Bangladesh in the Era of Parliamentary Autocracy” held at the National Press Club.

Majumdar argued that BNP’s claim that the issue is not in the constitution is unfounded, citing historical precedents such as the caretaker government led by Justice Shahabuddin, which also lacked constitutional basis but was formed through political consensus. He explained that the note of dissent represents a minority view within the 14-member parliamentary committee, where 11 members were from the ruling party and three from the opposition. The majority view, he said, was approved in the referendum and endorsed by the people.

He concluded that BNP’s reasoning on the matter is unconvincing and inconsistent with democratic consensus.