DHAKA: The autumn session of the 9th Parliament began Monday with an appeal from the chair for the boycotting BNP to join this session as the Opposition continued to stay away.

Opening the sixth session at 4:05pm, Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid in his inaugural speech hoped that the Opposition would join the parliament session to make it effective.

“The role of the Opposition is also vital to making the session a success, besides the ruling party. Actually, a responsible opposition can identify the faults of a government,” Hamid told the House.

He also said, “We have to make the parliament effective for strengthening the country’s democracy. Constructive criticism by the Opposition would help Government run the country properly.”   

He also called upon the parliamentarians to abide by the code of conduct of parliament and to work sincerely so that the hopes and aspirations of the people can be fulfilled.

He said there might be differences among the parliamentarians but a common goal of all is to serve the people.

Later, he named a panel of chairmen elected to run the session in the event of absence of both the speaker and the deputy speaker. The panel members are Professor Ali Ashraf, Mujibul Haque, Golam Mostafa, Ashraf Nizam and Tohra Ali.

Both the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition were not in, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now in New York while BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is leading a prolonged boycott.       

This session in the autumn will be a 13-day sixth one of the ninth parliament, elected after the lapse of two years for state of emergency in the country following a political crisis over election issues.

The parliament is to consider at least 15 government bills for legislation, sources said. Also, a special parliamentary committee is readying a recast of the Constitution following the cancellation of the Fifth and Seventh Amendments and apex court directions.        

The fifth session of the parliament, which was the second budget session under the present Awami League-led Grand Alliance government, ended on July 22 with the main opposition BNP staying away.

On Thursday, opposition Chief Whip Jainul Abdin Faruque requested the government to consider the conditions given by them for joining parliament session.

BNP lawmakers had joined the fifth session, but they staged a walkout on June 2 in protest against the arrest of acting editor Mahmudur Rahman and closure of the daily Amar Desh. Since then, the opposition continued on the abstention.

BDST: 2015 HRS, SEP 19, 2010