The Bangladesh Cricket Board made a significant decision, in the 17th board meeting, to cease all operations of the Constitutional Reform Committee. The gathering was held at the country’s historic Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.
The Constitutional Reform Committee came under fire after proposing several major modifications to the board’s constitution. The committee was led by Bangladesh Cricket Board director Nazmul Abedin.
A few days ago, Dhaka club organizers threatened to reject the proposed constitutional revisions. Four days later, they boycotted domestic cricket in the First Division, endangering the livelihoods of several local cricketers.
The Constitutional Reform Committee’s operations were halted by BCB after sweeping suggestions
The Bangladesh Cricket Board appointed a five-member Constitutional Reform Committee, led by Nazmul Abedin. Saiful Islam, the personal secretary of the National Sports Council Chairman, was appointed as the committee’s member secretary.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board committee’s three other members are Kamruzzaman, the board’s legal advisor; Supreme Court Advocate Barrister Sheikh Mahdi; and AKM Azad Hossain. However, the board has temporarily paused this committee’s activity.
This committee made some daring ideas, such as dissolving CCDM and significantly reducing the number of Category-2 councilors in the General Council.
In another change, the committee proposed reducing the number of directors representing Dhaka-based teams from 12 to 4. Dhaka club organizers strongly opposed the revision, calling for a boycott.
The proposed modifications would have lowered the number of directors from 25 to 21. As a result, the clubs decided to boycott the league. It spurred the Bangladesh Cricket Board to take swift action. If the league had been postponed, the careers of approximately 1500-2000 cricketers would have been jeopardized.
We felt their activities need to be suspended: Bangladesh Cricket director Mahbub Anam
Mahbub Anam, director of the BCB, stressed that the constitutional revision committee’s approach should be transparent. He also indicated that some committee modifications are required, as well as increased stakeholder participation.
“They [reform committee] did not present anything to the board or the NSC. The board of directors felt that the process [of the committee] should be a bit more transparent because the constitution is something where there can’t be any secrecy. It’s public information that will be public. We felt their activities need to be suspended, and the discussion that is happening should be stopped,” Anam was quoted by Cricbuzz.
“In the same way, the changes in the committees and their expansion are necessary because it’s important for the stakeholders to be involved, the board felt. In light of those, these decisions have been taken. We will announce the committee’s scope of work before any changes and expansion decisions are executed. We have decided to suspend the activities of the constitution reform committee,” he added.
The BCB announced the standing committee and hinted about the potential of an interim election. Several positions on the board are empty, which is being managed by board president Faruque Ahmed.