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Commentary

Hon'ble parliamentarians, please behave honourably

By Mahfuz Anam
In a most disgusting show of parliamentary discourtesy, two MPs from the opposition BNP insulted the deputy speaker hurling abusive invectives in a loud voice which could be heard even by the Journalists sitting in the upper gallery. To make matters worse, the MP who made the more vulgar remark had the gall to issue a public statement saying that he said no such thing, which when brought to the Deputy Speaker's attention, prompted him,to say that he himself heard the comment. So now we have a case where an MP utters a vulgarity in public, and then denies it in writing. This to us shows that the person concerned not only DOES NOT have much respect for the parliament and the office of the presiding officer (in this case the Deputy Speaker) but he also does not have much respect for public opinion, thinking that the fact of his public misbehavior, heard by so many, can be wiped out by a Kublic denial. We think BNP taders should have reprimanded him and apologised on his behalf.
Quite often MPs have been seen to raise questions of privilege when negative comments about them are published in the press As peoples representatives' they seem to think that they are above criticism. But
wnat happens in this instance. An MP has, in the hearing of many. Including Journalists, Insulted the Deputy Speaker. To avoid further embarrassment and perhaps not to further complicate relations with the Opposition the Deputy Speaker may have decided to overlook the matter. But we the public cannot, and will not. Thanks to TV and Radio coverage we are privy to what goes on in that sanctified forum.
As the MPs have rights and privileges, we. the people, have our rights too. We pay a huge amount of money — hundreds of crores — to hold elections. Then we pay several crores to keep the institution of the Jatiya Sangsad running nearly Tk 16,000 per minute, if we are not mistaken. In addition, we give our MPs salary, allowances, telephone and travel privileges etc., not to mention tax free vehicles. For what? To utter insults at the Speaker. To quarrel all the time. To abuse and speak ill of each other every time they rise to speak.
On behalf of the voters we would like to ask how many minutes of this parliament have been spent to discuss the most urgent problems of the people, like public health, malnutrition. violence against women. falling standards of education, rising drug addiction
among youth, rising unemployment, arsenic poisoning in vast areas of southern Bangladesh.
Honourable Members of Parliament, have you ever asked yourself as to why the poor of this country spent hundreds of crores to elect you and then continues to spend a huge amount of money to maintain you? Is it to see you go at each others throat at every opportunity? Is it to see that you insult the other party’s leaders on every occasion that comes your way? Is It to see you thumping your files on the desk like unruly children in a kindergarten class Just so that the proceedings of the House is disrupted? Is it to see you making outlandish claims about your party's achievements and saying the most outrageous mls-facts about the other? Is it to see you raise Issues with the sole purpose of embarrassing the other side? Please tell us what did the nation gain from what has been going on during the last few days?
As the saying goes if one does not look after his or her own honour, others cannot look after It for them. So. if the parliamentarians do not look after their own honour and that of the House then how can we, the people, look after it? Honour is something that no
amount of privilege motions can bring or help to protect. It has to be earned. Yes the norms of parliament and rules may prevent us from writing what we really think of you. But do not forget nothing will prevent the people from saying what they think of you. And when they do. there will be no time to make amends.
We plead with you all to remember why you are in the House and WHO SENT you their. Please remember also the promises that you made to us when you came for our vote. We also plead that you think of the tremendous development challenges that we face. What will take one year to complete if we start today, will perhaps take two years if we start a month later. The point is that problems not addressed do not stay unchanged. They become more complicated and difficult to solve. Remember Koreans had a per capita income lower than ours in the early sixties. Where are we now compared to them? And why so? Because they acted to solve their problems, while we did not. Bangladesh is 25 years old. Not a small span of time given the era in which we are. We cannot keep on saying we are a new country, etc. How will we change, if YOU THE PARLIAMENTARIANS do not lead us out of this abyss of poverty, ignorance and depravity? So please rise to the occasion and do what Is the most honourable thing to do — serve those who have elected you to where you are today.