BNP Pioneered Multiparty, Parliamentary Democracy in Bangladesh: PM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said that the BNP not only restored multi-party democracy but also introduced parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh. He said the government is working to protect every citizen’s constitutional rights and ensure essential services for the people. He made the remarks on Tuesday when Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary Anda Philip paid a courtesy call on him at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Secretariat, according to Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Swadhin.
During the meeting, Anda Philip highly praised Tarique Rahman’s leadership. She said his regular participation in sessions of the National Parliament sends a strong message of his firm commitment to parliamentary democracy.
Tarique Rahman said, “We are extremely pleased that after a long struggle, we have been able to restore democracy in the country. We have struggled for democracy for a long time.” He said many leaders and activists of his party had been subjected to enforced disappearance and killings, while false cases had been filed against nearly six million party leaders and activists. “Finally, through the February 12 election, we have been able to facilitate the country’s democratic process,” he said. The prime minister said, “The BNP not only restored multi-party democracy, but parliamentary democracy also came through this party.”
“There are still some challenges ahead of us. However, we are optimistic and firmly committed to democracy. People’s expectations regarding democracy are high,” he said. He added, “We believe that sustainable progress and development of the country can be ensured only through an effective and strong democratic system.” Tarique Rahman said his government was working to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen and ensure the services people need.
The IPU secretary said she had read the BNP’s election manifesto. She praised various initiatives outlined in the manifesto in the education sector as well as community-based programmes. Praising Bangladesh’s progress in parliamentary democracy, Anda Philip said continued progress in this direction would further strengthen public confidence in state institutions and the democratic system. She said the IPU was interested in further strengthening experience-sharing and cooperation with Bangladesh’s National Parliament. She expressed hope that the Speaker of Bangladesh’s National Parliament would attend the IPU’s 153rd conference in Tanzania. She said the Speaker’s participation would further strengthen relations between the IPU and Bangladesh’s parliament. The IPU secretary also stressed the importance of increasing civic awareness to make democracy more effective and sustainable. Women’s empowerment was also discussed during the meeting. Sharing her experience of meeting young and women members of parliament, Anda Philip said they were highly energetic and enthusiastic.
The prime minister said women’s empowerment was one of his government’s top priorities. He also outlined plans to provide free education for women up to the honours level and introduce scholarships for female students. Tarique Rahman said one of the main objectives of the Family Card programme was to make women financially self-reliant and increase their participation in family decision-making.
Foreign Affairs State Minister-1 Humayun Kabir and Foreign Affairs State Minister-2 Shama Obaid Islam were present at the meeting.
