Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called upon all to unite against the culture of abusive language, saying that freedom of speech must not cross the limits of decency.
“At present, a democratic environment is prevailing in the country and freedom of speech is unrestricted. But we must remember that freedom of speech should not cross the boundaries of decency,” he said while delivering his concluding remarks at the third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS).
The Leader of the House said, “We do not want fascist and autocratic rule to be imposed on the shoulders of the people of Bangladesh. Likewise, no conscientious person or patriotic politician would want our political culture to turn into a culture of abusive language.”
“That is why all of us, irrespective of political affiliations, should play a responsible role,” he added.
Tarique Rahman questioned why words that people would not feel comfortable using in a family environment should be used in the public forum.
“Why should we use in the public forum the words that we do not feel comfortable using in our family environment? Why should we not refrain from using such words in the public sphere? I want to leave this question with all members of parliament and all conscientious citizens of the country,” he said.
“If we truly agree on this issue, let us take a united stand against the culture of abusive language,” the Prime Minister added.
Noting that conflicts and divisions would revive fascist forces, the Leader of the House said, “Whether we are from the ruling party or the opposition, let us all work together to build a welfare state. That is why I always try to say, ‘Bangladesh first, Bangladesh for all’.”
Calling upon the people to remain united, he said divisions and conflicts among pro-democracy forces could ultimately help pave the way for the revival of the ousted fascist forces.
“We must not forget that divisions and conflicts among the pro-democracy forces could ultimately revive the ousted fascist evil forces and perhaps facilitate their return. For the sake of future generations and as part of our duty to the martyrs, we must continue the work of rebuilding the state in a united manner,” said Tarique Rahman.
Stating that differences of opinion and political competitions are natural in a democratic system, the Prime Minister said, “There will be differences of opinion in democracy and a democratic governance system. They exist all over the world. There will also be political competition. That too is a democratic practice. But we must remain vigilant so that differences of opinion do not turn into hostility, honourable Speaker.”
The session resumed at 3pm today with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair.
After Maghrib prayers, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram read out in parliament the President’s order regarding the prorogation of the session. The third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad began on August 27.
Noting that the parliament is the centre of all activities, the prime minister said, “We want to make the present parliament the centre of all activities. I firmly believe that it has been proved through the discussions we held during this session that none of us lacked goodwill.”
“There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that we, both sides, have been working for the interests of the country and its people, holding discussions and trying to take effective initiatives in this regard,” he added.
Tarique Rahman sincerely thanked all the lawmakers present for keeping the Jatiya Sangsad effective and vibrant.
“Every democracy-loving person expects this Jatiya Sangsad to discuss the problems of the people and alleviate their sufferings, even to some extent. They expect this parliament to bring peace and prosperity to them,” he said.
Referring to the country’s economy, the prime minister said the ousted evil forces, whose mandate was rejected by the people in 2001, returned to state power through conspiracies in 2009, as the Leader of the Opposition had also mentioned.
“They snatched away the people’s rights. Their misrule, corruption, plundering and money laundering until fleeing the country on August 5, 2024, forced Bangladesh to bear the stigma of being a loan defaulter,” he said.
“Now the responsibility of freeing Bangladesh from this curse of loan default has fallen on the shoulders of the BNP,” the premier added.
“They fled, but left the burden of these loans on the shoulders of this country and its people. The fascist forces that fled the country not only turned Bangladesh into a loan defaulter, but also manipulated the calculations used to measure loan defaults,” he said.
Tarique Rahman said the BNP government, after taking responsibility for running the state under such circumstances, has taken initiatives to free Bangladesh from the scourge of loan default.
“Due to various initiatives, the loan default ratio has now declined. It was 35.5 percent after the previous election, but has now come down to 32.6 percent. This means the situation has started improving under the present BNP government,” he added.
The prime minister said the BNP had freed Bangladesh from the stigma of being a “champion of corruption” inherited from the misdeeds, plundering and corruption of the fascist clique.
“Likewise, InshaAllah, the BNP will also free Bangladesh from the stigma of loan default that we inherited in 2024 because of the same clique,” he said.
About foreign loans, the Leader of the House said, “We received a state heavily burdened with foreign debt. Many of those who burdened Bangladesh with loans have fled the country, but Bangladesh still has to repay those loans.”
The current government has paid a record US$204.76 crore in principal and interest on foreign loans over the past five months, Tarique Rahman said.
He, however, said the burden of foreign loans worth thousands of crores of taka still remains on the country and its people due to the plundering and money laundering during the fascist regime.
