Second session of 9th JS begins today

Row over seat-planning remains still unresolved
The second session of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad begins at 3 pm today (Thursday).
It is the first budget session of the current parliament as well as the first budget of the present Mohajote government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, who has already finalized the next year’s fiscal document, is likely to place the budget of 2009-10 on June 11 in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Official sources said that Taka 90,000 crore has been earmarked for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) side by side with finalizing the revenue budget for the next fiscal year.
The first session of the 9th parliament, formed after the last December 29 Jatiya Sangsad elections, began on January 25 and ended on April 7 after 39 working days. The President delivered his inaugural speech in the first session of the JS according to the Constitution.
On the first day of the first session, 122 ordinances promulgated by the immediate past caretaker government were placed in the House. Around 42 bills were prepared out of these ordinances and 40 of those were tabled in the first session.
Of the tabled bills, 32 were passed and eight bills are under consideration of the JS committees and the rest two bills are likely to be placed in the second session.
In the first session, a discussion was held on the barbaric killings of army officers and civilians by the BDR mutineers at the BDR headquarters here on February 25 and 26. An obituary reference was also adopted in the House unanimously at the death of the army officers, their family members and other civilians.
Bangladesh Betar will broadcast live the second session of the 9th JS every day from the Sangsad Bhaban. The inaugural session of the 2nd JS session will be relayed simultaneously by Dhaka ‘Ka’, FM 103.2 megahertz and other regional centres of Betar.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) banned carrying of firearms, explosives and other harmful materials and also gathering, procession, rally and demonstration around the Sangsad Bhaban from Wednesday night.
“The ban will remain in force until the conclusion of the second session of parliament,” a DMP announcement said on Tuesday.
Our Senior Staff Correspondent
Sahidul Islam Rana adds:
Uncertainty loomed large over the BNP-led Opposition’s joining in the House proceedings on Wednesday, the first day of the second session in the ninth parliament, as the row over seating-arrangements still remains unresolved as per the demand of the opposition bench.
According to parliament sources, the ex-speaker Advocate Jamir Uddin Sarker has asked to arrange the seat planning with a total of five seats, including one more than the first session, for the opposition in the front bench.
In the new seat plan, some five seats in the front row on the left-side of the Speaker have been allocated for the opposition. The opposition leaders are: BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Jamir Uddin Sircar, M K Anwar, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Moudud Ahmed, sources added.
Meanwhile, Opposition Whip Zainul Abedin Faruk expressed his dissatisfaction over the above mentioned seating arrangement and said, “Until we get an honourable position, we cannot accept it. We placed our demand before the Speaker several times and he assured us to settle the issue and we are waiting for his decision.”
Talking to The Bangladesh Today at 8.10pm yesterday, he, however, did not specify the number of satisfactory seats. He only said, “I’m on the way to a meeting with the BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. We will take the final decision after the meeting.”
On the other hand, Ruling Party Whip ASM Feroz told this correspondent that as a neutral institution, the Speaker rearranged seating plan for all political parties proportionately.
“This issue is fully under the jurisdiction of the Speaker. I’m not well-aware of this issue at this moment. I hope opposition would accept the decision of the House proceedings,” he mentioned hoping all-out participation of the opposition to make the parliament effective.
Here it may mentioned, the opposition’s law makers staged a walkout in the inaugural session on January 25 protesting the inaugural speech of President Iajuddin Ahmed.
Later, they walked out from the first session on January 28 as the incumbent Speaker Abdul Hamid rearranged the seats for the lawmakers of BNP and their allies earlier distributed by the outgoing Speaker Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar.
In the first arrangement BNP lawmakers got the front 10 seats in the opposition bench. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chief Col (Retd) Oli Ahmed was also given a seat in the first row of the opposition bench.
Meanwhile, Awami League Parliamentary Party Committee (ALPPC) would hold its meeting at the Parliament Bhaban at 1pm today (Thursday) to chalk out the strategy of the ruling party in the House and budget.
Most importantly the ALPC would discuss and determine the strategy on how to face the opposition in case the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies join the House proceedings, said AL sources.
If the BNP doesn’t come to the House on the pretext of the seat-sharing issue the possible AL’s stance will be discussed.

Courtesy of The Bangladesh Today