In search of the opposition
The 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls were boycotted by the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islam and a number of smaller parties. The race for constituencies mainly boiled down to the AL and the independents.
As the newly-formed cabinet are set to take their oath, questions remain about who the opposition will be.
The 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls were boycotted by the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islam and a number of smaller parties. The race for constituencies mainly boiled down to the AL and the independents.
Talking to journalists after the oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected members of parliament (MPs) at the Jatiya Sangsad, Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said the leader of the House and speaker will decide who will be the opposition in the 12th parliament. "The new prime minister and speaker will determine the selection of the Leader of the Opposition after discussion," he said.
On the same day, the Jatiyo Party threw its hat in the ring as a prospective opposition. The party's Chairman and newly-elected member of parliament from Rangpur-3 constituency GM Quader said his party was on the opposition bench in the last parliament and wants to play the same role again. "The feeling of coming to the parliament is always good," he told reporters.
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Replying to a query, GM Quader said, "I don't know exactly what the rule is. But we were on the opposition bench, and we want to play the same role again. We belong to a public welfare-oriented party and we want to do what is good for the people."
For now, the search for the opposition continues.
