Bangladesh News

Lawmakers of the main opposition Awami League walked out of parliament again yesterday during a session protesting the placing of a bill by a technocrat minister, Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, alleging that he does not have the authority to place the specific bill.
Five new bills were placed in parliament yesterday which the AL lawmakers termed ‘election bills’ alleging that the government did nothing in the last five years, but now it is placing bills in the House to showcase those for the people ahead of the next general election.

The bill placed by Social Welfare Minister Mujahid is regarding providing special facilities to women prisoners. The opposition lawmakers termed it a finance bill and said only the home or law minister could have placed it in the House after receiving permission from the president.

“It’s absolutely a violation of the rules of procedure and the constitution. The speaker created a bad precedent by allowing Mujahid to place the bill,” AL Lawmaker Suranjit Sen Gupta told reporters after the walkout.

“It is a finance bill so the minister could not table it without the permission of the president,” he said adding, “But he placed it without taking permission from the president.”

Earlier, AL lawmaker KM Jahangir repeatedly pointed out the anomaly while Social Welfare Minister Ali Ahsan Mujahid was placing the bill. But, Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar, who presided over the session, ignored him.

After the bill was placed, AL lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim on a point of order drew the attention of the speaker to the matter and said the social welfare minister has no right to place the bill according to the constitution.

But the speaker said the law will take its own course. “He (Mujahid) tabled another bill earlier so it is nothing new,” the speaker replied.

Following the speaker’s reply Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said, “The remedy to the alleged anomaly is in the bill itself if the opposition cares to find out.”

After the law minister’s reply, opposition lawmaker Suranjit Sen Gupta stood up to speak but the speaker did not give him the floor, following which AL lawmakers walked out of the House led by the deputy leader of the opposition.

Later Education Minister Osman Farrukh placed Karmichael University Bill 2006, Shaheed Ziaur Rahman University Bill 2006, Islamic University (Amendment) Bill 2006 and Madrasa Education (Amendment) Bill 2006.

After the bills had been placed in the House all were sent to respective standing committees to finalise them through scrutiny. The committees will place their reports to the House following which they will be passed by parliament.

According to Karmichael University Bill 20006, Rangpur Karmichael College would be transformed into Karmichael University. According to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman University Bill, a new public university would be set up in Barisal which would be named after late president Ziaur Rahman.

But, opposition lawmaker Fazlul Karin Selim said in the House that the name of the university should be Sher-e-Bangla University.

“All of these are election bills and the government just tricked the people of Barisal as it had failed to set up a university there in the last five years,” Selim said.

Denying the allegation of the opposition, Education Minister Osman Farruk said it is a demand of the people of Barisal and the government has taken the initiative to fulfil their demand.”

Opposing Islamic University (Amendment) Bill and Madrasa Education (Amendment) Bill, AL lawmaker ASHK Sadique said, “Islamic University has already become ineffective due to terrorist activities and corruption there, it cannot take any more burden. Giving it more responsibilities will only harm the interest of madrasa students.”

Rejecting the allegation the education minister said, “We have just provided the university with the power to award affiliations to Fazil and Kamil madrasas and nothing else.”