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Bangladesh's post-uprising parliament went into its maiden session Thursday amid mixed feelings as opposition lawmakers from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party staged walkout during presidential address, after a buoyant start.
The inaugural session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) started at 11am with the election of a new Speaker and a Deputy Speaker under the chairmanship of senior politician Prof Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
Prime minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman proposed senior BNP parliamentarian Hafiz Uddin Ahmed as Speaker in a motion approved by voice vote. Barrister Kayser Kamal was similarly elected Deputy Speaker unopposed.
Following the elections, President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.
At the outset of the sitting, Tarique Rahman delivered an opening speech before the House adopted a condolence motion commemorating several national and international figures who died in recent months, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Prayers were offered for the deceased.
Tensions crept in during the afternoon session when Shahabuddin began his constitutional address to parliament at around 3:40pm.
Opposition coalition lawmakers led by Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman rose in protest immediately after the speech started, chanting slogans and displaying placards that read president a "traitor of July" -- a reference to the political upheavals that followed the mass uprising of 2024.
The protest created a chaotic scene inside the chamber. While ruling-party lawmakers stood in respect during the national anthem as the president entered the hall, members of the opposition alliance initially remained seated before eventually standing midway through the anthem.
Opposition MPs shouted slogans such as "fascism and democracy cannot coexist" and "fascist collaborators beware", while repeatedly banging on desks. Some protesters also called for the president's impeachment, resignation and arrest.
At one point, opposition MP Hasnat Abdullah moved toward the president's podium but was restrained by fellow lawmakers. Amid the rumpus, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed repeatedly urged members to maintain order.
After about four minutes of disruption, Shahabuddin began delivering his prepared speech. Opposition lawmakers continued their protest briefly before staging a walkout from the chamber.
While talking to the reporters after the session, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed questioned the rationale for the opposition's protest.
He said the same president had held discussions with opposition leaders on August 5-6 during the political transition, and had administered the oath to advisers of the interim government that followed.
"Some of those advisers are now members of this parliament," he said. "So why deny the same president now?"
However, he acknowledged that walkouts were not unusual in parliamentary democracies and described them as part of democratic political culture.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com