The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday called for making people more conscious about laws, rules and regulations, as these would make the establishment of rule of law easier.

The path for establishment of rule of law becomes easier if the citizens' consciousness about law, rules and regulations is enhanced, he observed while unveiling the cover of 'Bangladesh Code', a 38-volume compilation of existing laws in Bangladesh at a function in the city.

Emphasising the need for ensuring easy access to laws the Chief Adviser said the goal of ensuring good governance and fair play by upholding justice and human rights becomes difficult if the laws in vogue cannot be made available to the citizenry in printed form.

He said initiative should be taken to translate the laws drafted in Bengali into English and the English ones into Bengali for the interest of the users.

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed also called for taking initiatives of the ministries concerned to update those laws which have become irrelevant and inconsistent.

"With the passage of time, many of the laws prevailing in the country have become irrelevant and inconsistent. Updating these laws in order to make them time-befitting is also a demand of the time," he mentioned.

Presided over by Adviser for Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Information Barrister Mainul Hosein, the function was also addressed by Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ms Barbara Richardson and Law Secretary Qazi Habibul Awal.

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed termed the publication of Bangladesh Code another important step of the government in its sincere endeavour to establish rule of law.

"The judges, lawyers and general citizens used to face various problems earlier on, as the prevailing laws were not easily available in the form of a code. They were often confused about the latest status of various laws," he remarked.

The Chief Adviser welcomed the initiative to publish these laws on the website and suggested keeping subject-based search engine to facilitate swift searches. Besides, he said, the initiative might also be taken to bring out the Bangladesh Code in CD and DVD format.

He reiterated that the present caretaker government has been working relentlessly to establish rule of law and said resulting in an epoch-making step like separation of judiciary from the executive branch could be taken recently.

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed expressed the hope that the judiciary would move forward for establishing justice everywhere in society, as they are now fully free from all sphere of influence following complete separation of judiciary.

"We shall expect the pace of justice to be swifter and the dispensation of justice to be visible and transparent. We shall expect that the judiciary would play a strong and courageous role to establish rule of law by freeing itself from corruption," he said.

He said the executive organs of the government including the ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs would remain fully prepared to extend all out cooperation in discharging their duties as per the Constitution.

Barrister Mainul Hosein said law is not a secret affair to remain confined to the judges and the lawyers. "Law governs people's life and it must be available in public domain," he said.

He said in a democracy the laws are for doing justice to the people and offering them the protection of law. So it is very important that those who want to know must have easy access to the up-to-date laws affecting their life and property, he said.

The Law Adviser said it has become most difficult to be sure about the latest changes made from time to time in various laws since the creation of Bangladesh. "As a result even the lawyers and the judges often felt unsure and unease about authenticity of changes in the laws," he said.

The Bangladesh Code is designed to meet that need. It seeks to present in handy volumes, the authentic version of all the laws available in Bangladesh. In all 956 laws have been updated and complied in 38 volumes, he said.

Stressing the need for having the correct knowledge of the law do justice rightly, the Law Adviser said, "Only when the law is certain and easily known to the people then it be rightly obeyed." The people must have a clear idea about the laws of the country to make them law-abiding citizens. They must also be aware of the oppressive laws that must not continue once the need is over, he said.

Terming the law as a living and expandable force he said it is through law that a country's international relationship in the fields of trade and commerce is determined. "So, a country's laws must also be readily available for other countries to know," he said.

He emphasised the need for having English version of laws those are drafted in Bengali, for the benefit of a closer relationship with the world that keeps on coming closer to Bangladesh.

The Law Adviser said the best way to keep the people happy and peace loving is to ensure justice and fair play through a well-organised justice system.

The modem day concept of law and legal system is not all about crime and punishment. We are trying to organise a just and happy society through the rule of law, he said.

He acknowledged the assistance of CIDA of Canada, DANIDA of Denmark and the World Bank in building the legal and judicial capacity in more than one way.

Barbara Richardson said the publication of Bangladesh Code would help people to be conscious about law of the land. She underlined the importance to transform the laws drafted in English into Bengali.

Qazi Habibul Awal said it is the legal responsibility of the state to make people aware of the laws of the country.

He said the ministry of law has taken the initiative for compilation of subordinate legislations and other related rules and regulations widely used in the legal profession.