DHAKA, Feb 12: Opposition Awami League lawmakers returned to parliament on Sunday, ending their boycott of parliament proceedings for 19 months and seven sessions of the house.
They returned to the house after the party president Sheikh Hasina’s absence for 87 consecutive working days, three days away from falling into the truancy trap laid at the 90-day deadline for staying away without leave of parliament. She last addressed the house on the concluding day of the 12th session on July 14, 2004.
However, the opposition party placed a set of proposals for reforms in the electoral system, both in the provisions guiding the non-party caretaker administration that holds national polls and the electoral laws, for free and fair general election scheduled in January 2007.
“We place the reforms proposal to ensure peoples’ voting right so that they can form government as per their choices,” said Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the opposition in parliament, placing her 34-point proposals before the house.
The proposals were prepared by the Awami League-led 14-party opposition alliance, out to wage a movement against the BNP-led ruling alliance for what they said the government’s failure in democratic governance.
In her 54-minute speech, Sheikh Hasina drew up her proposals to amend the formation and jurisdiction of the caretaker government, make the election commission absolutely independent with budgeting freedom and reforms in electoral laws and regulations to free the election from the muscle power, black money, terrorism and fundamentalism – the elements she fear might hinder the people’s right to vote.
“We want the people to exercise their right to franchise to ensure the government’s transparency,” Sheikh Hasina said, hoping the two-third majority government would take necessary steps to enact laws if necessary to bring her proposal into reality.
The Treasury bench welcomed the return of the opposition lawmakers and said that there can be discussion on certain proposals.
‘It is necessary to hold discussions on some of the suggestions made by the leader of the opposition (Sheikh Hasina) so that the elections can be conducted in a free and fair manner,’ said the ruling BNP’s secretary general, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, told, in reply to Hasin in the parliament on Sunday. “We (government) can accept the good proposals, if there are any, to make the elections free from black money, violence and muscle power.”
Earlier, as the League MPs were entering the house at 4.45 pm, the treasury benchers welcomed their colleagues by thumping desks.