Editorial
Unsatisfactory start to the 9th Parliament
Be generous to the opposition
We cannot but be disappointed at the way the business of the 9th parliament has gone so far bereft of the opposition from the very first day, except for the opening sitting. We wonder, much as we would not like to, whether we are witnessing the first signs of a replication of the 8th Parliament, in which the opposition was left out of the scene through the partisan conduct of the then Speaker, for the greater part of the five years of its tenure. This, after two years of democracy in the limbo, makes the situation even more undesirable.
To be specific, there are three issues that cause us to feel frustrated. Firstly, it was very disappointing to see the AL chief renege on her public commitment (though not in the AL election manifesto) to offer the post of Deputy Speaker to the Opposition. The AL would have gained much political ground by demonstrating its generosity towards the opposition. We feel the AL has perhaps missed a golden opportunity to reduce the psychological distance between it and the BNP by not living up to its pledge.
And the seat row is even more baffling. The absence of the Opposition from the House after the first sitting, for not being allotted the number of seats that it wanted in the front row, appears to be rather puerile. We feel that this needless squabble can be sorted out if both the parties display some degree of accommodation. However, we must point out that the outgoing Speaker Sirkar's unjustified manner of allotting seats to the BNP-led opposition in the front row, which was not proportional to their representation in the House, disregarding the suggestion of the Chief Whip, which has caused the wrangle in the first place.
Even if we are to accept that the BNP's demand of seats in the front row is unjustified, the AL's position is also neither necessary nor justified. We are constrained to say that the Speaker's attitude belies completely the statement of the Prime Minster who had said that it was not the number of the opposition MPs that would be the main criterion in its dealings with them. The AL promised "change," even called its manifesto "Charter of Change." May we ask where the much promised change is?
Unfortunately, BNP for its part is clearly crossing the line by threatening to go for agitation against the government for not living up to its pledge. Such a move has the potential of making the parliament dysfunctional.
Lastly, in the Speaker's rejection of all the 21 notices given by the BNP-led opposition for discussion we see a repetition of Jamiruddin Sirkar's dismissive attitude towards the opposition in the last parliament. Issues like law and order, post election violence etc., merit discussion on the floor of the House. Regrettably, to our mind, the current Speaker has failed the very first test.
Would it be too much to ask the two the major parties to act more responsibly so as not to belie the hopes and aspirations of the people, and make the voters repent for having elected them as their representatives to the Jatiyo Sangsad?
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