Stand strongly against anti-graft drive: Shafiqur

Opposition Leader and Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday called for making the Jatiya Sangsad a “meeting place of the oppressed and ordinary people”, urging equitable distribution of state resources, stricter action against corruption and a more effective parliament.

Speaking at the closing sitting of parliament’s second session, chaired by Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal, he said a rules-based parliament could restore public confidence and encourage greater public participation in nation-building.

He also urged the Speaker to ensure stronger enforcement of parliamentary rules and procedures.
Shafiqur criticised the passage of the budget and key bills without adequate debate, saying the opposition was denied meaningful participation in discussions on important national issues.

He warned that sidelining the opposition would reduce parliament to “a waste of public time and money”.

The opposition leader also expressed grief over recent deaths caused by floods, landslides and drowning.

He said four divisions had been badly affected, with Chattogram suffering the worst damage.
He urged the prime minister and finance minister to provide special financial assistance to affected and bereaved families.

Shafiqur also criticised Dhaka’s chronic waterlogging and poor drainage system, saying even light rain leaves many parts of the capital submerged in polluted water.

Calling Dhaka the “face” of the country, he demanded a special budget allocation and an integrated master plan to turn the capital into a livable and attractive city.

Welcoming higher budgetary allocations for education and healthcare, he called for greater priority to primary and higher education. He also urged the government to introduce moral and religious education for students of all faiths from the primary level and recruit religious teachers in primary schools.

He further called for an end to politically motivated MPO enlistment of educational institutions, saying selection should be based on merit.

Alleging discrimination in development spending, Shafiqur said opposition lawmakers had been excluded from government allocations, while ruling party lawmakers from reserved seats received substantial funding.

Referring to BNP’s 31-point reform agenda and election manifesto, he urged the prime minister to ensure that political bias does not deprive citizens of their rightful share of development.

He also called for an end to installing politicians’ name plaques on publicly funded projects, saying replacing them after changes in government wastes huge public money.

Describing corruption as one of the country’s biggest challenges, Shafiqur demanded exemplary punishment for corrupt individuals.

He said those involved in corruption should be “handcuffed” to deter future looting of public wealth.