JS session begins with opposition walkout
Courtesy New Age 26/1/09
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The ninth parliament on Sunday went into its first session with both the outgoing and the new speakers calling on lawmakers to play their due role to make the parliament effective.
The BNP-led main opposition also staged a walkout before the speech of the president, Iajuddin Ahmed.
Abdul Hamid, who was unanimously elected speaker to the ninth Jatiya Sangsad, said in his inaugural speech, ‘I hope the opposition will play their role in parliament to help to correct the government’s mistakes. I invite more criticism from them.’ He said he would try to make the parliament the centre of all activities.
The outgoing speaker Jamiruddin Sircar congratulated the lawmakers and asked both the ruling and opposition lawmakers to play a constructive role in the parliament.
The opposition in the parliament, unlike what happened in the opening session of the eighth parliament, has this time showed a good gesture of being present in the first sitting.
Almost all the opposition lawmakers attended the inaugural session wearing black ribbons to protest at the introduction of the one-party Bangladesh Krisahk Sramik Awami League rule on January 25, 1975 by the then ruling Awami League. The BNP observes it as a ‘black day.’
The lawmakers of the BNP-led main opposition, however, boycotted the speech of the president in the house in protest at ‘the failure of the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, as head of the caretaker government to hold the general elections within the constitutionally stipulated time.’
‘The president who was the head of the caretaker government failed to hold the elections within the constitutionally stipulated time. It was a breach of oath of office and we cannot hear him,’ opposition lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury told reporters after staging the protest.
Khaleda Zia led the BNP lawmakers out of the house. Lawmakers of its allies followed them.
This was the third time the main opposition staged a walkout in the opening sitting of a parliament. The Awami League walked out of the first sitting of the fifth parliament on April 5, 1991. The BNP staged a walkout in the first sitting of the seventh parliament on July 14, 1996.
The guests in the visitor’s galleries included former chief adviser to the interim government Fakhruddin Ahmed, chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, army chief Moeen U Ahmed, prime minister’s son
In his speech, the president called on all to play their role to establish rule of law by eliminating corruption and terrorism through collective efforts.
‘Poverty alleviation, elimination of corruption and terrorism, trial of war criminals and establishment of good governance would be the main objective of the new government,’ Iajuddin said.
The ninth parliament came into being through the December 29 parliamentary polls, more than two years after the dissolution of the eighth parliament on October 28, 2006.
A military-controlled interim administration headed by Fakhruddin Ahmed ruled the country for about two years under a state of emergency promulgated by Iajuddin after his failure to hold the general elections, scheduled for January 22, 2007.
The inaugural session, scheduled for a 3:00pm start, began about half an hour behind the schedule.
After the introductory speech, the outgoing speaker Jamiruddin Sircar conducted the election to the posts of the speaker and the deputy speaker.
The chief whip, Abdus Shahid, proposed former parliament speaker Abdul Hamid, elected lawmaker for a Kishoreganj constitnuency for the sixth time, speaker and whip Shagufta Yasmin Emily seconded. All the opposition lawmakers voted in favour of the proposal, unanimously electing Hamid speaker of the house.
Whip ASM Feroz, a lawmaker for the Patuakhali 2 constituency, proposed Shawkat Ali, a lawmaker for the Shariatpur 2 constituency, as the deputy speaker. Whip Mujibul Haq, lawmaker for a Comilla constituency, seconded. As the outgoing speaker put the proposal to vote, all but the opposition BNP lawmakers voted in its favour. The BNP lawmakers remained silent. The chair announced Shawkat unanimously elected deputy speaker of the parliament.
After the elections, the house went for half an hour’s recess when the president administered oath to new speaker and deputy speaker in his office.
The sitting resumed again half an hour behind the schedule with the newly elected speaker Abdul Hamid in the chair.
He thanked the lawmakers for electing him speaker and called them to work towards putting an end to poverty.
He announced a panel of chairmen, who will run the house in the absence of the speaker and the deputy speaker. He then move an obituary reference to 82 noted personalities, including former ministers, lawmakers, local and foreign dignitaries and statesmen.
Front-row Awami League lawmakers Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Tofail Ahmed, Workers Party lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon and BNP lawmaker ZIM Mostafa Ali thanked the new speaker. The speaker rejected many requests from the floor on points of order.
The new speaker then formulated the business advisory committee headed by him before giving another short break for the evening (maghrib) prayers.
As the session resumed after the prayers, BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury stood up to seek floor to speak before the address of the president. He tried to draw attention of the chair by raising his voice, but the chair did not heed. He was trying to make a point that the president had violated the constitution and the BNP would not listen to his speech in the house.
The BNP lawmakers, sitting to the left of the chair, stood up and walked out of the house.
The speaker, after the president’s speech, adjourned the session till 4:45pm on January 28.
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