JSD urges MPs not to take additional oath

Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) has urged newly elected members of parliament not to take any unconstitutional additional oath. The party stated that to ensure the blood of July martyrs does not go in vain, all concerned must stand against any obstacles before the National Parliament regarding democratic reforms. Therefore, they are calling upon MPs not to take an additional oath without parliamentary approval of the President's referendum order.

JSD President Sharif Nurul Ambia and General Secretary Nazmul Haque Praman made this call in a statement on Monday. They said, "Along with our countrymen, we have been eagerly awaiting the oath-taking of the newly elected members of parliament and the new cabinet. However, we are disturbed and concerned by news in the media about an additional oath for MPs."

The statement said we have been protesting from the beginning against legitimising such an oath and fixing timeframes through an unconstitutional referendum order. Such an additional oath will not be valid before the President's order is approved in the upcoming parliament.

The leaders said we observe with great concern and irritation that a particular quarter is trying to create a constitutional crisis by pressuring parliament to implement their own agenda in the name of the glorious July uprising, attempting to fish in troubled waters. This is essentially an effort to thwart the aspirations of the July uprising and democratic reforms.

They said we hope the upcoming parliament will promptly approve matters on which consensus was reached through lengthy discussions in the National Consensus Commission. Issues on which differences of opinion exist have scope for detailed discussion in parliament. The Democratic United Front and allied organisations are politically committed to implementing matters on which they reached consensus or expressed differences in the commission's discussions accordingly.