Restraint is needed
IT was good to see that the leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia, led the opposition lawmakers into the house on February 11 after skipping it for sixty-plus consecutive sitting days since the beginning of the second session of the ninth Parliament on June 4.
The people have hailed the return of the BNP-led opposition to the house and they expect that both the ruling AL and the main opposition BNP will be respectful to each other to make the Parliament effective and do everything possible to develop a political culture that contributes to the successful functioning of democracy.
The opposition chief whip, who took the floor shortly after their return to the house, demanded parliamentary discussions on a number of issues, including price hike of essentials, law and order, campus violence, and killing of Bangladeshis on the border. He also presented the much-talked-about charter of demands, which includes, inter alia, additional seats in the front row, lifting of the cases filed against Khaleda Zia and her two sons, revoking the government's decision of scrapping the lease-hold of her residence in the Cantonment, giving opposition lawmakers chairmanship of two more parliamentary standing committees and stopping AL's female lawmakers from supervising development activities in the opposition lawmakers' constituencies.
The opposition urged the speaker to expunge the treasury bench's "indecent remarks" on late president Ziaur Rahman. Speaker Abdul Hamid reportedly assured the opposition that he would allow them to participate in discussions on "important issues."
So far, this was good. But, what followed in the House in past few days has frustrated most people. House proceedings shown on BTV and the reports carried by newspapers show how the treasury and opposition bench MPs have locked horns and verbally attacked and blamed each other indecently for "misrule" in the country, creating an intense situation in the house.
The MPs taking part in the thanksgiving motion on the president's address used indecent and unparliamentary language, and even launched personal attacks on opponents ignoring the rules of procedure of parliament. The speaker's request to the MPs not to use indecent and unparliamentary language in their statements and not to attack their opponents has so far fallen flat. We saw his helplessness when he failed to bring the House to order and asked what he could do if everybody shouted.
The opposition questioned the neutrality of the speaker and staged walkout on three consecutive sitting days till February 15.
It is not clear to many as to why the top level leaders in the treasury bench have been vocal in making personal attacks on late president Ziaur Rahman, particularly of his burial near the parliament, when the government is faced with problems like upward trend in the rate of inflation, price spiral of food and other essential commodities, decline in export growth rates, decline in imports of key items required for economic growth, decline in the growth of revenue collection compared to 2008, deterioration of law and order, killing of Bangladeshis on the border, etc.
Would it not be wise for the government to seek cooperation of the opposition to find solutions to these problems? This will be appreciated by the people. Even if the opposition does not come forward, it will go in favour of the government.
The cabinet decided on February 15 to rename the establishments named after late president Ziaur Rahman, including the Zia International Airport, which is to be named Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) International Airport, and Shaheed Ziaur Rahman University, Barisal, which will be named Barisal University. The opposition BNP has already threatened a countrywide movement against the decision. We have to wait to see as to what extent this decision of the government affects functioning of the Parliament. BNP has already made it clear that they would raise their voice, simultaneously in Parliament and on the streets, to realise their demands.
What many people fear is that if the street agitation and violence gain momentum, the functioning of Parliament will be seriously hampered. This has been the experience of the past twenty years or so of the parliamentary democracy in the country. This also threatens the process of our parliamentary democracy.
An old saying goes: "Politicians think of the next election while statesmen think of the next generation." Bangladesh has so far got many politicians but very few statesmen. It may not be an overstatement that our national political leaders place individual and party interests above national interests. This has adversely affected both the economic and the political development of the country.
Democracy is yet to take root after thirty-eight years of independence. Both the ruling AL and the main opposition BNP have to exercise utmost restraint in the interest of the nation. It needs no explanation that, here, the ruling AL has to set example to be followed by the main opposition BNP and others.
M. Abdul Latif Mondal is a former Secretary.
M. Abdul Latif Mondal is a former Secretary.
E-mail: latifm43@gmail.com
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