Nurul Islam Moni, chief whip of Parliament has said that democracy is fundamentally based on trust, stressing that both the government and the opposition must have confidence in each other.
“We will trust the opposition, and the opposition will also trust us,” he said on Sunday after the oath-taking ceremony of two newly elected MPs Md Rezaul Karim Badsha and Md Mahmudul Haque Rubel.
Referring to remarks made by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman following the swearing-in, the Chief Whip said the prime minister had urged all present, including lawmakers, to seek administrative support or inform him directly in case of any problem, but warned against taking the law into their own hands.
He said the prime minister reminded MPs that they were elected to serve the people and ensure their welfare. “You must discharge your responsibilities both inside and outside Parliament to strengthen democracy. We want to build a welfare-oriented and humane state. You are my tools and hands in this process,” he quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
On the energy situation, Nurul Islam said the government had provided an additional subsidy of Tk 36,000 crore to address the ongoing energy crisis. He also alleged that Tk 27 lakh crore had been siphoned off during the previous “autocratic regime”, adding that the current administration was committed to using national resources for public welfare and preventing capital flight.
Highlighting parliamentary proceedings, the Chief Whip said a special joint committee comprising members of both the treasury and opposition benches had reviewed 133 ordinances. Following scrutiny, 16 ordinances were identified for amendment and would be placed as bills later, while the remaining ordinances had already been passed by Parliament within five days.
He described the passage of 117 bills in five days as a “record” and “unprecedented” in the country’s history, noting that he, along with officials of the Parliament Secretariat and BG Press, had worked intensively to complete the process.
Expressing disappointment over a recent walkout by opposition MPs, he said such actions were part of democratic practice and the opposition had every right to protest.
The Chief Whip also said the government planned to expand the “July Museum” by incorporating historical events such as the 1971 Liberation War, the 1975 famine, the BAKSAL period, the 1990 mass uprising, and the 2024 mass uprising. He described the initiative as a “living institution” rather than a conventional museum, adding that ministerial involvement would help accelerate its development.
