After a long wait, the nation watched as the first session of the 13th parliament commenced with a full house—a defining moment marking the country’s return to democratic practice. It took a blood-soaked uprising and the sacrifice of thousands to oust the previous authoritarian regime and pave the way for this democratic revival through a free, fair, and participatory election held on February 12. As a result, expectations from this parliament are naturally high.
Notably, the first session was conducted relatively efficiently. With the outgoing speaker and deputy speaker positions from the 12th parliament vacant, BNP lawmaker Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain stepped in to preside over the inaugural session. Veteran BNP leader and freedom fighter Hafiz Uddin Ahmad was elected the speaker, and Kayser Kamal, MP and BNP’s law affairs secretary, was elected the deputy speaker.
There was a political consensus earlier that the deputy speaker should be from the opposition, and the BNP had also mentioned this in their manifesto. Although they offered the position to Jamaat-e-Islami, the latter declined. Jamaat’s stance in this regard was that they could not accept the position unless a final decision on the implementation of the July National Charter was made. Nevertheless, it would have set a good precedent if Jamaat had accepted the BNP’s offer.
Going forward, irrespective of their party affiliation, the neutrality of the speaker and the deputy speaker must be maintained in all matters. We hope Speaker Hafiz will not follow in the footsteps of many of his predecessors by denying opposition and independent MPs the opportunity to properly express their views and grievances in the House.
Another important task undertaken during the first session was the presentation of the 133 ordinances enacted during the tenure of the immediate past interim government. We expect MPs to scrutinise each ordinance thoroughly before deciding their fate in coming parliamentary sittings. One positive development has been the formation of five committees, at least two of which include MPs from both benches. However, all five committees—just like the 13th parliament itself—have hardly any female members. Perhaps not surprisingly, the first session was also marked by opposition sloganeering and a symbolic walkout in protest during the president’s address.
Parliamentary democracy returned to Bangladesh after a long wait yesterday. Therefore, our expectations from both ruling and opposition MPs—voted to the House by the people of Bangladesh—are that they recognise they represent the public, not merely their party or alliance. They must serve the people’s interests with utmost sincerity and ensure that the parliament functions through intelligent debates and discussions. While the ruling party, despite its two-thirds majority, should not turn the parliament into a party office, the opposition should also resort to strategies like walkouts and boycotts only as a last measure. The country cannot afford yet another failed parliament.
