‘Amend article 70’
Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of the Opposition GM Quader yesterday stressed the need for amending article 70 of the constitution to empower lawmakers in parliament.
According to the article, lawmakers lose their seats in parliament if they vote in the House against the party that nominated them.
Participating in the thanksgiving motion on the president's speech, the JP chief said for this article, the MPs have to stay loyal to the party in parliament as breaching article 70 leads to cancellation of their membership.
"But as per the Westminster system, all are private members except cabinet members. This is also present in our parliament's rules of procedure," he said.
The deputy leader of the opposition opined that if all lawmakers, including ruling and opposition, except the ministers perform this duty individually and collectively, then the accountability of the government can be ensured in parliament.
"But article 70 is an obstacle here. Due to the article, all proposals from the ruling party are accepted in parliament. MPs cannot take decisions as per their conscience, and opinions of people of their respective constituencies," he said.
Quader said duties of ruling party lawmakers are to give affirmative response to the government's decision.
"Considering the country's socioeconomic condition, it would not be practical to abolish the article 70," he said, suggesting that the article be limited to formation of the government, budget approval, and no confidence motions.
Speaking on the thanksgiving motion on the president's speech, Jatiya Party MP Anisul Islam Mahmud said time has come to think about why people have lost their interest in voting.
He said removing mistrust and lack of confidence are needed for bringing back the culture of participatory elections.
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