& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Deadlock over formation of JS standing bodies persists

By Nurul Kabir
There is still no sign of untying the Gordian knot created over the formation of the parliamentary standing committees on various ministries even eight months after the inception of the present Jatiya Sangsad.
According to the Constitution. the committees are to be constituted "as soon as possible, after formation of a Jatiya Sangsad." Besides, leaders of contending political camps often admit the indispensibility of the JS standing bodies for an effective parliamentary democracy. They always argue that accountability of the executive wing of the state cannot be ensured without making the parliamentary standing bodies function effectively.
The deadlock regarding formation of the committees was created following ruling Awami League's departure from an earlier commitment that the membership of the committees should be distributed among the parliamentary parties and groups in proportion to their respective strengths.
However. AL and BNP leaders in the Standing Committee on JS Rules of Procedure had reached a consensus that the ministerial committees be headed by non-minister legislators and the number of the members of the committees be raised to 12 from 10.
A three-member sub-committee was formed in August
By Nurul Kabir
'fast year to formulate amend-mehts' to fhls effect. The subcommittee was asked to place its report before the 12-member body headed by Speaker Humayun Rashid Chowdhury for discussion. The sub-committee was headed by Law. Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Two other members of the sub committee was Rahmat All of the AL and Khandaker Del-war Hossain of the BNP. Its recommendations were submitted
to the Speaker in early October last year.
Directed by the Speaker, the JS secretariat wrote to the members of the Standing Committee on the JS Rules of Procedure to propose their amendments, if there was any. to the sub committee recommendations in the third week of October last year. MK Anwar, a BNP member of the body on Rules of Procedure proposed two amendments 'on October 23 which said that both the membership and the chairmanship of the committees be distributed among the parties and groups in proportion to their respective strengths in parliament.
At a meeting of the Standing Committee on the JS Rules of Procedure on October 23. the AL representative accepted the first BNP proposal that the membership be distributed in proportion to the parliamentary strengths of the parties. Chaired by the Speaker, the meeting also approved the subcommittee recommendations. Following AL's request. MK Anwar withdrew his second proposal which said that the chairmanship of the committees be distributed proportionately. LGRD Minister Zillur Rahman and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Matin Khashru were present at that meeting.
The next meeting of the committee was held on November 9 last year. "Mentally prepared to see that our proposal for proportionate membership in the committees has been incorporated into the report for placing in the House, we got surprised to see that the proposed amendment, which was already accepted by the ruling party, was missing in the minutes of the previous meeting placed before us for approval on November 9." MK Anwar told this correspondent.
The Speaker, following BNP’s dissatisfaction over the incident, directed the officials of the JS Secretariat to "correct the minutes and present those for approval of the committee in the next meeting." Anwar added. Two more meetings were held on February 1 and 26 this year and the Speaker directed the officials concerned once more, but the corrections are yet to be made, he said.
In this regard, a top ranking official of the JS Secretariat observed that it was hard to believe that the JS staff did not correct the proceedings after being dictated by the Speaker to do it. The Speaker was not available for comment.
While attending the last meeting. MK Anwar had advised the ruling party members
to "abandon the hide and sick game” and suggested that the committee report, along with the BNP's proposed amendments be placed in the House for consideration. "The ruling party is free to reject the BNP-proposed amendments by the strength of their majority", he told the Speaker.
Until prorogation of the third session of parliament, neither the JS Secretariat corrected the minutes, nor the report was placed in the House.
Talking to this correspondent over the issue early this week, the Law Minister admitted that he had said 'yes' to BNP's amendment seeking distribution of membership of the standing committees proportionately with the parliamentary strengths of the parties and groups. "However, one of my party colleagues in the Standing Committee on JS Rules of Procedure, Rahmat All, later objected to the idea", the minister said.
Besides, the Jatiya Party member In the committee also requested the Speaker not to accept the BNP-proposed amendment on the ground that it would affect their representations in various important JS standing bodies, JP sources said.
When contacted, Rahmat All
told this correspondent on Friday night that ne had opposed the BNP amendment on technical ground. "A member cannot move an amendment directly to the committee, specially when the sub-committee had finalised its recommendations."
When reminded that MK Anwar had proposed he amendments following a letter of the Speaker that requested the committee members to put forward their amendments, if there was any. Rahmat All said: "The request was made to all MPs. and a large number of them have already submitted a number of amendment proposals to the JS Secretariat, which will be discussed in the House later. However. MK Anwar rejected the interpretation.
In a separate development, the AL ana BNP signed a four point agreement on January 14 last to run the parliament effectively. One of the four points ■ said that Telecommunication Minister Mohammad Nasim would make efforts to resolve the stalemate regarding formation of the committees in consultation with the Chief Whip of Parliament and the Chief Wnip ■ef—the Opposition in Parliament.
So far, Nasim held two meetings with the Opposition Chief Whip but the meetings failed to
produce any result. Sources close to them told The Daily Star that the ruling party rather tagged the question of proportionate distribution of membership with the issue of BNP's political course of action.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has clearly ruled out any possibility of distributing the committee membership on the basis of the parliamentary strengths of the parties and groups. While making her valedictory statement before prorogation of the last session of Jatiya Sangsad on Marell 13, the Prime Minister told the House that committees would be formed on the basis of precedence established in the fifth Parliament where Begum Khaleda Zia was the Leader ol the House.
The Telecommunication Minister, however, told this correspondent on Wednesday that he would take fresh initiative to resolve the problem soon. But the BNP members believe that it is very difficult for any ruling party leader, however. sincere he might be. to resolve the problem especially after the Prime Minister's "open opposition" to the idea of distributing membership of the committees in proportion to the parliamentary strengths of the parties and groups.