Friendly JS starts rolling today

With a handmaiden and unusual opposition against a most brute treasury bench led by the Awami League, the 10th parliament begins its journey today, raising questions about how such an opposition could hold the government to account.
The main opposition Jatiya Party's MPs will sit on both the treasury and opposition benches to play a double role which, according to constitutional experts, is unprecedented and a breach of the norms of parliamentary democracy.
Recognised as leader of the opposition in parliament, JP de facto boss Raushan Ershad will lead the opposition bench that is responsible for holding the government accountable. Bizarrely enough, Raushan has kept three of her lawmakers in treasury, who will defend the cabinet, which is accountable to the House.

Alongside 31 JP lawmakers, 15 independent MPs will sit on the opposition benches. The independent MPs won without AL blessings although almost all of them are AL leaders. This raises further questions as to whether they will be able to play their roles as opposition MPs.
Two minor political parties, BNF and Tarikat Federation, were left solely on the opposition benches.
Of them, two Tarikat MPs won with AL support and also by using the AL electoral symbol of the boat. As for the newly floated BNF, its chief got elected by chance, after JP chief HM Ershad withdrew his candidacy from a Dhaka constituency in his efforts to "quit" the polls race.
Against such a fractured opposition bench, more than 250 MPs will sit on the treasury benches led by Hasina, also leader of the House, to defend her government's policies.
The treasury bench consisting of MPs belonging to the AL, Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Jatiya Party-Manju and three lawmakers of the JP-led by Raushan will face little opposition.
The treasury bench will get even bigger when more than 40 out of the 50 would be MPs of reserved seats join it.
The nature of the three past parliaments -- first, fourth and sixth -- may be mentioned here.
The first parliament constituted through the 1973 general election had no recognised opposition leader as only seven MPs were on the opposition benches. But none of them sat on the treasury benches.   
The fourth parliament was formed through the 1988 general election held amid a boycott by the AL, BNP and other political parties. Blessed by the then Ershad regime, JSD leader ASM Rab was recognised as the opposition leader. But none of the opposition MPs joined the cabinet then either as the JP has done this time.
The sixth parliament formed through the February 15, 1996 one-sided election amid a boycott by the AL, JP and other parties had a very short life of 11 days. Its only function was to amend the constitution to introduce the caretaker government system in the wake of political unrest. Only 11 MPs, including 10 independent lawmakers, were on the opposition benches. But none was recognised as the opposition leader.
This time the situation is different, though. Ministers of the AL-led government formed through the January 5 election held amid a boycott by the BNP-led alliance have been saying that the government will remain in office for five years.
For the first time in two decades, the BNP is now out of parliament. The party may not be able to wage any strong street protests anytime soon, after failing to "resist" the election.
Since 1991 when parliamentary democracy was restored, BNP chief Khaleda Zia was elected either the PM or the opposition leader. But this time, her party having boycotted the election, she will enjoy neither status.
At the inaugural of the 10th parliament this evening, President Abdul Hamid is scheduled to address the House.
The parliament, which was constituted on January 9 amid controversy that its lawmakers took the oath of office while the ninth parliament was still in existence, will elect the new Speaker and the Deputy Speaker today. They will be sworn in immediately after being elected.  
The session will begin with outgoing Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who is likely to get re-elected, in the chair.
ALPP CONFIRMS SHIRIN AS SPEAKER
The Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) at a meeting yesterday nominated Shirin as the Speaker of the new parliament.
Chaired by party chief Hasina, the meeting also picked Fazle Rabbi for the post of Deputy Speaker, said meeting sources.
Earlier, Shirin was elected unopposed as a lawmaker from Rangpur-6.
The Election Commission issued a gazette notification in this regard yesterday, hours after the returning officer of Rangpur scrutinised the nomination paper and declared her elected uncontested.
The Jatiya Sangsad seat fell vacant after Hasina, who was also elected from Gopalganj-3, relinquished her membership of the constituency on January 8, three days after the national polls.