Haste, walkouts mark budget session

The second session of the 13th National Parliament ended last Wednesday. Billed as the budget session, its 26 working days ranged far beyond the budget itself.

The House was consumed by political flashpoints — an opposition walkout over the formation of a special committee on constitutional amendment, debate over ownership of Islami Bank, Jamaat-e-Islami’s role in 1971, prosecution of killings from last year’s July uprising, and the trial of Awami League leaders.

Criticism was also directed at lapses in the law-making process itself.

The session passed a national budget of Tk 9.38 lakh crore, with 316 lawmakers taking part in the general discussion on the budget.

Ten bills were passed in total, and 11 parliamentary committees — including the special committee tasked with recommending constitutional amendments — were formed during the session.

According to the Parliament Secretariat, 278 questions were submitted for the prime minister to answer, of which 35 were answered on the floor. A further 5,031 questions were submitted for ministers across various ministries, and 3,474 of those received answers.

Bills rushed through again
As in the first session of the 13th Parliament, the second session again saw bills pushed through hastily in some cases. The opposition raised objections, but these were overruled by voice vote.

The most criticized instance came on the session’s final day, when the Investment Bangladesh Bill was passed.

No notice was given for the bill as required under parliamentary rules, and it was passed almost immediately after being introduced, without any debate on its contents.

Beyond passage of the budget, the session’s most talked-about development was the formation of a special committee to recommend constitutional amendments.

The opposition had long argued that what the country needs is not amendment but reform — delivered through a Constitution Reform Council — and that no special committee was necessary for the purpose. They said they would not sit on such a committee.

The ruling party is pressing ahead with amending the constitution through the special parliamentary committee, rejecting the opposition’s demand for a separate Constitution Reform Council.

Ruling party leaders say the required changes must come within the existing constitutional framework, with the committee first holding talks with political parties and other stakeholders before making its recommendations.

Those recommendations would then form the basis of an 18th Amendment bill to be tabled in parliament.

Having walked out of parliament in protest after the committee was formed, the opposition is now weighing its next steps. Its approach appears twofold: continue opposing the committee on the floor of the House while stepping up street demonstrations demanding a Constitution Reform Council and full implementation of the July National Charter and the referendum verdict. Opposition leaders say they are not backing down from that demand.

Under the existing constitution, amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in parliament — the route the government intends to follow, bringing an amendment bill based on the special committee’s eventual recommendations.

Committee formed amid a walkout
Parliament formed the 12-member special committee, chaired by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, with the House passing the motion by voice vote in the opposition’s absence after its members staged a walkout.

Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam Moni placed the proposal for the committee, which was passed with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair, and the panel was set up with provision for later expansion to 17 members to accommodate the opposition.

The committee was originally intended to have 17 members, with five seats reserved for opposition nominees. The opposition declined to put forward names, leaving those seats vacant for now.

Alongside eight lawmakers from the ruling BNP, the panel includes Zonayed Saki of Gono Songhoti Andolon, Andaleeve Rahman Partho of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Nurul Haque of Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Md Oliullah of Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

Oliullah, however, had earlier taken oath as a member of the Constitution Reform Council alongside lawmakers from Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party.

He said his name had been added to the special committee without his knowledge, and that he learned of his inclusion only through media reports, having been absent from parliament when the committee was formed.

Noting that Islami Andolan supports implementation of the July Charter and formation of a Reform Council, he said the government’s approach amounted to rejecting the verdict delivered by 70 percent of voters in the referendum.

Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman told parliament that lawmakers had taken oath not only as members of parliament but also as members of the Constitution Reform Council, in line with their commitment to implement the referendum verdict — and that this was why the opposition rejected the special committee’s formation.

Speaking to reporters afterward, he said the will of the people is the highest law, and that while the government had honoured the people’s mandate to form a government, it was disregarding their referendum verdict on constitutional reform.

He called on the government to accept the July Charter and the referendum outcome, warning that street demonstrations would otherwise continue.