Bangladesh: JS ignores issues of public interests: TIB

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): Only 1.8 per cent of the total working hours of the first session of the 10th Jatiya Sangsad was spent in making laws although the main task of the lawmakers was to formulate law in parliament. In the first session that started on January 29 this year, the lawmakers praised their own parties 856 times against 251 times in the first session of the 9th parliament, according to a research report of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) titled ‘Parliament Watch’ on the operation of the first session of the 10th parliament. The Awami League-led government and the main opposition, Jatiya Party, criticised the immediate-past main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for 531 times during the period whereas it had happened 342 times in the first session of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad. The study reveals that the participation of businesspeople has increased to 59 per cent in the 10th parliament while it was only 17 per cent in the first parliament constituted in 1973. In the current parliament, the number of women lawmakers is 69, including 19 directly elected, and 29 per cent of them are businesswomen while 23 per cent lawyers and 14.5 per cent politicians. Picking up former ministers as chairmen or members of the parliamentary standing committee on the respective ministries this time has opened up chances to influence probes against the members of 9th parliament, the report said. At least 10 former ministers, state ministers and the deputy speaker of 9th parliament have been made chairmen of the parliamentary standing committees on the respective ministries this time. A TIB research team presented the report at a press conference at BRAC Centre in the city on Monday. Sultana Kamal and Iftekharuzzaman, chairman and executive director respectively of the corruption watchdog, were present. In reply to a question, Iftekharuzzaman said the main opposition Jatiya Party had been suffering from crisis of identity. ‘They lack moral and political strength’. He said that the TIB study put forth a set of recommendations to make parliament effective and accountable to strengthen democracy. The recommendations included minimising ‘period of absence for lawmakers’ significantly to ensure their attendance in parliament, recognising the first 10 lawmakers in terms of their attendance in the working session, taking steps to enact the ‘Code of Conduct of Parliament Members 2010’ and passage of a law to stop boycott of the house. The TIB study also found that a total of 17 hours and seven minutes were wasted due to quorum crisis which cost the exchequer Tk 8 crore. The TIB report revealed that only 1.8 per cent of the total working hours in the first session of the current parliament was spent in making laws. In contrast, the first session of India’s 15th Lok Sabha spent eight  per cent of its total duration. The study censured the speaker for her failure to stop using `unparliamentarily words’ against the immediate-past opposition BNP. The house witnessed no discussions some issues of public interests like leakage of question papers of public exams and recruitment test and adulteration of gold crests given to foreign friends who had positive contribution to our war of independence, the report said. The study termed a ‘positive sign’ the main opposition’s not boycotting the parliament session, although it questioned the role the main opposition had played. The report showed that the overall attendance rate in the first session of the 10th parliament was 64 per cent while the leader of the house was present at its working sessions for 32 days (89 per cent) and the main opposition leader for 14 days (39 per cent). Speaking at the press conference, TIB trustee board chairperson Sultana Kamal said the parliament session for most of the time witnessed lawmakers praising the government and criticising the immediate-past main opposition party, though two minutes were not needed to pass a bill. `Public money is spent in running parliament. We want the house to formulate laws in the interest of the people,’ she said adding, ‘ Parliament is being run by a vested quarter and public interest is always ignored though no more than six minutes are needed to pass a bill in the interest of businesspeople.’ ‘The increase in the number of businessmen in parliament is not a good sign. Political parties should be a little more cautious while giving nominations,’ she said.