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House ratifies CG expenditure

Opposition stages noisy protest

Staff Correspondent
The Jatiya Sangsad with an Awami League (AL) majority yesterday ratified two year's expenditure of die immediate past caretaker government, amid vehement protest of BNP-led opposition coalition lawmakers.
The House ratified through voice votes four relevant ordinances, which were placed as bills, giving a legal cover to the expenditure which was largely met by imposing and collecting taxes for the sake of 'keeping continuation of the constitutional process and the government'.
Two more bills are scheduled to be placed today for ratifying two finance ordinances promulgated in 2007 and 2008 by the caretaker government, to give a legal cover to imposition and realisation
of taxes by it in FY 2007- 08 and FY 2008-'09, sources in the parliament secretariat said.
The BNP-led opposition lawmakers placed resolutions for disapproving ratifications of the four ordinances.
Constitutional experts earlier attending a meeting of the parliament's special committee which had suggested that the House ratifies the ordinances related to financial matters, also recommended that the committee puts an observation saying, "We do not support it morally."
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith however did not make any such observation in the bills.
"I am compelled to place the budgets for approval to keep the continuation of the constitutional process and the government. I have no alternative, but to do
so," the finance ministersaid.
BNP-led opposition lawmakers said tire immediate past caretaker government violated the constitution, and wasted public money. They demanded that the government first take actions against 'the violators of the constitution', and then place the ordinances for ratification.
In the wake of an extra ordinary situation, the president promulgated the ordinances to meet the expenditure of the two financial years, the finance minister defended himself. Similarly, the president also promulgated ordinances to meet the caretaker government's additional expenditure for the two financial years, he added.
Immediately after the finance minister placed the financial statements for FY 2007 '08 and FY2OO8-'O9, BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury took the floor and pointed out that article 83 of the constitution says tax cannot be imposed and realised without a parliament or without its approval
"Article 83 was violated as tax was imposed on the people and realised in the financial year of 2007-2008. Action must be taken against those who violated the constitution, to keep the continuation of the constitution," Salahuddin, who was also the parliamentary affairs adviser to former prime minister Khaleda Zia, said.
"First take actions against the violators of the constitution, and then come with the bills, we will support that," he asserted.
Opposition lawmakers spoke on several occasions defending their resolutions for disapproving the ordinances, and asked the finance minister to bring the bills back again 'without legitimising the illegal activities of the caretaker government'.
In response to the opposition lawmakers the finance minister said the immediate past president promulgated 122 ordinances, some of which must be ratified to keep the continuation in the successive government.
"We have to legalise the budgets through which money was collected and spent," he said.
The resolutions for disapproval were rejected by the voice vote.
On preparing the budget for FY2009-'10, the finance minister said the government already started working on it.