BNP pledges to work with govt for nation's progress

From the daily star news

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said her party deputies will attend parliament from its inaugural sitting and play a constructive role there. She urged them to lead honest and constructive lives, shunning luxury. "We hope the government will take the country forward in cooperation with the opposition. We want to assist the government and we want the government creates that atmosphere and maintain it," Khaleda said after a meeting of the BNP Parliamentary Party. After taking oath in the afternoon, the BNP lawmakers held the meeting at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and elected Khaleda unanimously as their leader in parliament and decided to send a copy of the decision to Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar to recognise her as the leader of the opposition. Later at a briefing at Khaleda's Gulshan office BNP Vice-President MK Anwar said the meeting authorised the party chief to pick her deputy in the House, nominate one for the election to the post of deputy speaker and choose lawmakers for other posts including the opposition chief whip and whip. The significant directive to the lawmakers for leading honest and constructive lives, refraining from luxury, came at the meeting, said a number of lawmakers who attended the meeting. Khaleda also asked her party deputies to play constructive roles from their respective positions and support the government's good work and oppose the wrong ones, they added. The BNP chief directed senior MPs of the party to arrange an orientation programme for the new lawmakers so that they can understand their responsibilities in the House. At the meeting BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury proposed Khaleda Zia's name as the parliamentary party's leader and MK Anwar seconded it. The proposal was passed unanimously. At the press briefing, Khaleda said party lawmakers would join parliament in the interest of the nation despite knowing about the "massive rigging" in the December 29 parliamentary elections. Asked if the BNP secretary general will be changed, Khaleda said changes would be brought from the grassroots to the central levels of the party. On ratifying the 114 ordinances promulgated by the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government, Khaleda said they would assist the government on this. "We want that the Awami League will discuss the matter with us because the country and its people are related to it," she said. About the Awami League's poll pledge to elect the deputy speaker from the opposition, she said, "They promise but deviate from it. We hope they will keep their words...So far they have not given any proposal in this regard. If they give one, we will consider it." Earlier, outgoing Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar administered oath to 28 lawmakers of the BNP and three of its allies--two of Jamaat-e-Islami and one of Bangladesh Jatiya Party--at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The oath taking ceremony was not broadcast live by the state run Bangladesh Television although it had aired live the oath taking of the lawmakers of all parliamentary parties including those in the AL-led grand alliance. In a reaction to this, the BNP chief said, "The people will understand from this discriminatory attitude of the government that its words and deeds do not go together." Khaleda alleged that 17 of her party leaders and workers have been killed so far in the AL's post-poll violence. "From the home minister's comment on this it is clear where the government wants to take the country," she said. "The government has created this chaotic situation to divert people's attention from its poll pledges," she added. Before taking oath, Khaleda retained Feni-1 seat, vacating Bogra-6 and 7 seats. Taking oath, the opposition lawmakers promised to discharge their duties faithfully and have faith in and allegiance to Bangladesh. They also pledged not to allow personal interests to affect their duties. The Parliament Secretariat handed them copies of the constitution, rules of procedure of parliament, and remuneration and allowances order. In the latest battle of ballots, BNP faced a humiliating defeat and got only 29 seats, which is the lowest number of seats the party has won in any national election since 1979. Political analysts blamed the election debacle on unbridled corruption and misrule by the ministers and lawmakers of the BNP-led alliance in their five-year tenure.