Cabinet okays numerous ordns, legal amendments
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said those who were involved in formulating the voter list ahead of the cancelled January 22, 2007 election should be brought to justice as it was “full of fake voters”.
She made the remark at Monday’s marathon cabinet meeting at Bangladesh secretariat, which endorsed a number of legal amendments and ordinances, including four legalising the national budgets given by the bygone extraordinary caretaker government. The cabinet started at 11am and ended at 3:45pm.
“There were above 2 crore fake voters on the then voter list. The persons who had formulated the voter list should be brought to book to resist any further move to hold such farcical election in future,” the newly elected premier was quoted by her Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad as saying.
The Press Secretary, giving a press briefing in the PID conference room, said Hasina’s comments came when the cabinet approved the Electoral Roll Act 2009 with four other supplementary agenda discussed in the cabinet.
The scrapped voter list was one of the bones of contention over the abortive January 22 polls that had triggered a political turmoil, leading to the 1/11 changeover and a political purge under the two-year-long military-backed interim regime. The election was held on December 29 last year in a changed situation.
As the main agenda, the cabinet approved Rangpur University (RU) Act 2009, Bangladesh University of Professionals Act ’09 and the Trade Mark Act ’09.
Among other major steps, the Law and Order Disruption Crimes Speedy Trial (Amendment) Act 2009 and Bangladesh Tourism Act 2009 were approved in principal by the cabinet.
“Following a proposal placed by the PM, the university will be named as Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur,” Azad said.
The President will be Chancellor of the new public university in the backwater northern district.
The Trade Mark Act was also approved with few amendments, including one providing that five Members of Parliament (MPs) will be included in the process for ensuring public representation.
An amendment was brought to the Tourism Act, stating that a noted tourism personality and a local personality will be included in the process to bring dynamism in the tourism sector, Azad said.
As supplementary agenda the cabinet approved the Artha Rin Adalat (Amendment) Act 2009, the Money Laundering Prevention Act ’09, the Election Commission Secretariat Act 2009.
Besides, the cabinet meeting approved another proposal for making into laws the four ordinances on supplementary budgets 2006-07 and 2007-08, and national budgets for 2007-08 and 2008-09 fiscal years.
The budgets were made in the interim period when parliament was not in existence.
Ministers, Advisers to the Prime Minister, and State Ministers were present at the cabinet meeting. Present among top officials were Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed and NBR chairman Abdul Majid.
During discussion on the amended Money Laundering Prevention Act 2009, the central bank Governor was quoted as saying that the bank has “specific evidence of laundering money to the United Kingdom and Malaysia”.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
