Farhad Mazhar questions legality of constitution reform commission

Poet and writer Farhad Mazhar yesterday questioned how the interim government could form a commission for reforming the very constitution under which it took oath of office.
“The entire state is being run under the constitution of Sheikh Hasina and her President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Why did you [Yunus-led interim government] take the oath of office under this constitution? You betrayed the people by taking the oath under this charter…,” he said.
Farhad also expressed wonder at the formation of a commission, led by Prof Ali Riaz, by the chief adviser to amend the constitution.
“You said that you would uphold the constitution, and now you are forming a commission to amend it. Who gave you this right?”
Farhad was speaking at a discussion titled “Constitutional Debate after Mass Uprising: Search for Origins and Destination.”
July Ganaparishar, a platform for reviewing the uprising, organised the event at the Bangla Academy.
According to Farhad, the idea of a constitution is a colonial concept from academic, historical, and critical perspectives.
“Those who believe in the constitutional concept think that it is a tool of colonial power needed to rule the people … .”
He said the crisis arising after the mass uprising is a political crisis and it is not a constitutional crisis.
Farhad argued that a constitutional counter-revolution has occurred in the country as people do not fully understand what the state and the constitution are.
He also criticised secularists for not taking to the streets to protest the recent vandalism of shrines across the country.
Addressing the discussion, Hasnat Quaiyum, chief coordinator at Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, said the interim government should regularly hold talks with all stakeholders to take the country forward.
“We all have to play a key role in taking the country forward,” he said.
Rashed Raham presented the keynote at the discussion. Prof Urmi Khan, Dhaka University lecturer Psymhe Wadud and writer and researcher Pavel Partha also spoke at the event.