Speaker Abdul Hamid Advocate yesterday said he has put all his efforts to bring the opposition party back in the parliament.
“Efforts to bring the opposition in the parliament were there, are still there and will be there,” he affirmed, hoping that the two leaders of the country's two major political parties would work unitedly for its betterment.
The speaker made the remark while addressing a seminar on World Rabies Day-2009 organised by Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in Bangladesh (APCRIB) at a city hotel.
Terming himself a speaker of all parties, he said, “Although I have been elected under the banner of a political party, but I am the speaker of all parties. So, I'm continuing my efforts to bring the opposition back in the parliament.”
About cancellation of parliamentary membership of Maj (retd) Jasim Uddin, he said it is a matter of the court. I have not get any verdict about this and the Election Commission (EC) will decide whether his membership will be cancelled or not.
Hamid also called on the health officers working in both government and non-government organisations to work together to take an effective initiative to prevent rabies in the country.
Speaking as the special guest, State Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mujibur Rahman Fakir emphasised the importance of creating mass awareness to prevent and control rabies.
“Education and mass awareness across the country against rabies and proper medicare is the most important tool for reducing this avoidable death. Involvement of proper stakeholders in planning a comprehensive national programme for rabies control is essential,” he said.
He further said that necessary steps would be taken to organise an inter-ministerial meeting this month for drawing a comprehensive plan to address the rabid challenges.
Addressing the seminar, Prof Shah Monir Hossain, director general of DGHS, said around 2,000 people die every year after suffering from rabies, because they often become victims of wrong treatment.
He also stressed the need for controlling unclaimed dogs and cats to prevent the disease.
Dr Mahbub Iqbal, president of APCRIB, chaired the seminar while Dr Md Habibur Rahman, director general of the Department of Livestock Service; Ashrafunnessa Mosharraf MP, president of Mahila Awami League; advocate Md Azmat Ullah Khan, mayor of Tongi municipality and president of Municipal Association of Bangladesh also spoke.