Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has said she will take strong steps to prevent the use of unparliamentary words and language in the Jatiya Sangsad. “We are concerned about the indecent words and unparliamentary language being used by the members of parliament during the session. So, we are about to take some strict measures to prevent that practice,” she told a reception in Dhaka on Saturday.
The reception was given in her honour for becoming the first woman Speaker of the country by Bangladesh Ain Samity (BAS) at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of the University of Dhaka.
Expressing her deep concern over the use of various ill remarks and offensive languages by the members of parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury said she has become the Speaker of the House following all parliamentary rules and regulations.
She brushed aside suggestions from some quarters about her position that the present speaker is not elected. “It is not true,” she said adding that there are rules that one could become Speaker directly or be elected from the reserved seats.
Referring to the Constitution of 1972, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said a speaker could be elected by the members of the parliament and added: “I have become Speaker of the House being an MP of the reserved seats for the women.”
She said in India, Pakistan and other parts of the world, there are women speakers but it is a rare historic event that Bangladesh’s current prime minister, leader of the opposition, speaker and deputy leader are all women.
She further said: “We have lots of responsibilities for the backward class of people. We cannot reach our desired goal of development without women who make up half of the country’s total population.”
The reception was presided over by A K M Afzal, president of Bangladesh Ain Samity and addressed, among others, by Mirza Haider, justice of the Supreme Court Professor, AAMS Arafin Siddique, vice chancellor of Dhaka University, Shahnaz Rahman, chairman of the Law department of Dhaka University, MP Golam Moula Rani, Molla Md Abu Kaisar, former president of BAS and Golam Mostofa Bhuiyan, the member of the BAS. The elected members of the Bar Council and
former students of law departments of Dhaka University were present on the occasion.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader and member of its Standing Committee Barrister Maudud Ahmed, MP has said, his party would not stay out of parliament despite personal attacks from the treasury bench.
These are being hurled at us to keep us away from the house. But we shall not go away rather give a befitting reply, he told the BBC radios Bangla service on Saturday.
Maudud’s comments came following he party MPs walkout on Thursday protesting what they said, use of un parliamentary words directed at BNP leadership by a woman backbencher from the treasury bench.
-With The Independent input
