Independent MP Rumeen Farhana, who was expelled from the BNP, has thanked her former party for not granting her an election nomination.
Speaking during the discussion on the President’s speech in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday, she said the denial allowed her to realise the extent of the love and support she receives from millions across the country, from Teknaf to Tetulia.
She noted that contesting within a party circle would have deprived her of this understanding.
Presided over by Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal, the session heard Rumeen Farhana address the constitutional imbalance between the president and the prime minister.
She pointed out that under the current Constitution, the president must act on the prime minister’s advice for all matters except appointing the PM and the chief justice.
Farhana noted that balancing these powers was a key demand of the ’24 uprising and is included in the BNP’s Vision-2030 and 31-point plans. Farhana expressed disappointment that the President’s speech was once again a version approved by the Cabinet rather than an independent address.
Turning to the economy, the independent MP cited Central Bank data stating that $234 billion was laundered out of Bangladesh over the last 15 years.
She said economic recovery is impossible unless this money is returned and the Tk6 lakh crore in defaulted loans is recovered. She highlighted that $68 billion was laundered through false invoicing in the last decade alone.
Farhana also criticised recent high-level appointments.
She noted that while other South Asian countries appoint PhD holders from institutions like Princeton to lead their central banks, the new Bangladeshi government appointed a member of a political election committee and a sweater factory managing director to a high post.
Farhana further lamented the partisan appointment of vice-chancellors in universities.
On social issues, she questioned why women, who were at the forefront of the mass uprising, have been sidelined, pointing to the presence of only seven female MPs.
She remarked that women are used as “shields” during unrest but become objects of “trolling” once stability returns. She declared that a “New Bangladesh” cannot be built while leaving 52 per cent of the population behind.
Paying tribute to the martyrs of the uprising, Farhana reminded the House of their dream for a country free from discrimination.
Regarding economic indicators, she described the 3.49 per cent GDP growth as “jobless growth,” noting that the unemployment rate for degree holders is 8.7 per cent, compared to 3.01 per cent for those with less education.
She concluded by highlighting the inflation crisis, which has placed Bangladesh on the World Bank’s “red list,” and urged strict measures against Hundi and money laundering to manage debt pressures.
