Dhaka: Opposition Deputy Leader Syed Mohammad Abdullah Mohammad Taher has called for the allocation of parliamentary standing committee chairmanships to be proportional to the opposition's representation in Parliament, accusing the ruling party of overlooking their rightful claim. Taher emphasized the importance of equitable distribution during a parliamentary session, highlighting previous discussions with the ruling party regarding committee formations.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Taher stated that an agreement was previously reached, ensuring the opposition would receive approximately 26 percent of committee memberships, reflective of their parliamentary strength. He asserted that this agreement should naturally extend to committee chairmanships, which aligns with the opposition's expectations of fairness.
Taher pointed out that neither the Rules of Procedure nor parliamentary privileges stipulate a specific ratio for chairmanship distribution between the government and opposition. He further mentioned that the opposition was once promised 10 chairmanships and had submitted a list of preferred committees, only to be met with unilateral decisions by the ruling party, which holds a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Criticizing the ruling party's approach, Taher argued that the government's actions resemble treating the opposition like children, offering them committees as mere tokens rather than recognizing their rightful claims. He warned against allowing the majority's will to dominate Parliament, describing such a scenario as authoritarianism, which the opposition seeks to avoid.
Taher urged the ruling party to reconsider its decision, stressing the importance of preventing discrimination for the sake of democracy and national interest. In response, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed clarified that no formal provisions or historical precedents exist requiring committee chairmanships to be distributed based on numerical strength. He denied any agreement to allocate 10 chairmanships to the opposition but affirmed the government's commitment to the principles outlined in the July National Charter.
The minister explained that the charter, a consensus document, pledges proportional chairmanships for opposition members on ministry-related committees, which will be honored after the charter's implementation and related constitutional amendments. Salahuddin also accused the opposition of hindering the charter's progress and urged them to participate actively in parliamentary discussions instead of engaging in external politics.
Salahuddin concluded by inviting the opposition to embrace the necessary constitutional amendments, underscoring that these changes, whether termed as reforms or amendments, should be formally adopted within Parliament's framework.