Awami League lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta on Tuesday strongly criticised the ministers, including the finance minister, for remaining absent in the parliament during discussions on the budget proposal for the 2011–2012 financial year.
The speaker, a ruling party whip and the only independent lawmaker supported Suranjit when he raised the issue. The chief whip and the finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, however, defended the ministers.
Suranjit took the floor on a point of order and calling the speaker's attention said that none of the ministers but the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was present in the parliament during discussions after the interval of the maghrib prayers.
'It is disheartening for us that we are talking the budget but the finance minister and his other cabinet colleagues are absent,' Suranjit said.
He said that the finance minister was absent, the planning minister was absent and even not a single cabinet member was there.
When he was saying this, the home minister entered the parliament followed by the finance minister and some others.
The speaker, Abdul Hamid, agreed with Suranjit's observation and said that 80 per cent of the ministers were absent although all of them should have been present.
'I think that it is a must that at least a half of the ministers should be present in parliament,' he said adding that the ministers might have some other duties but most of them should be present.
He said that the presence of the ministers encourage the lawmakers when they speak about different ministries.
Hamid said that two finance ministry officials were in the parliament and he had arranged their seating in the gallery so that they could take note of necessary points but they could not be seen at the time.
After the speaker had spoken, whip ASM Firoz took the floor and supported what the speaker had said. But he said that the ministers were in the parliament and were listening to the discussions sitting in their rooms. 'I hope they will be in the house from now on.'
The independent lawmaker Fazlul Azim then took the floor and said that he disagreed with the practice of listening to discussions staying in the rooms and demanded that the ministers should be present in the session in person.
'I expect your [speaker's] ruling that the minister should be present in the session as the session begins after office hours,' he said.
The chief whip, Abdus Shahid, however, defended the ministers, saying that they took notes as they listened to the discussions sitting in their rooms and that the issue should not be discussed there.
The finance minister said that he had attended the session to listen to the discussion every day and stayed for a long time although sometimes he had been late.
'I was late sometimes but the reason for my delayed presence is the budget and the lawmakers,' Muhith said adding that the lawmakers visited them to discuss the budget which caused the delay.
Source : New Age
No comments:
Post a Comment