Jamaat ameer cites 3 reasons for walkout during President’s speech

Leader of Opposition in Parliament and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, on Thursday clarified that opposition lawmakers staged a walkout from the House for three specific reasons during the President’s address.

The main opposition in the 13th National Parliament staged the walkout during its maiden session that began earlier in the day.

Lawmakers from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) walked out while President Mohammed Shahabuddin was delivering his speech. The move set a rare precedent, as there has been no previous instance of opposition MPs leaving the chamber at the very beginning of a President’s address in parliament.

Opposition MPs left the House shortly after the President began speaking, accusing him of remaining inactive over the killings during the 2024 mass uprising and of ignoring the public mandate for a reform council.

When the President’s arrival in the chamber was announced, opposition MPs stood up from their seats and began protesting. They displayed red cards bearing the slogan “No Betrayal of July” and chanted slogans in the House, describing the President as a “killer”. 

When the national anthem was played on the bugle before the President’s speech, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and parliamentary officials requested members to stand as a mark of respect. Opposition MPs stood silently during the anthem.

However, as the President began delivering his speech, opposition lawmakers resumed their protests. At one stage, they walked out of the chamber while chanting slogans.

Before the walkout, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed urged them to remain calm, noting that the President’s address was a constitutional obligation.

Speaking to reporters shortly after leaving the chamber, Dr Shafiqur Rahman said the opposition had refused to listen to the President’s speech for three reasons.

He said the newly formed Parliament stood on the blood of the martyrs of July. According to him, they had entered the House with the expectation that it would uphold the spirit of July. The opposition had earlier requested that individuals who were allies of the “fascist” Awami League regime and had supported the killings should not be allowed to address Parliament.

Dr Shafiqur said the first reason for boycotting the speech was that the President neither protested nor took action over the killings that occurred during his tenure.

The second reason, he said, was that the President had lost credibility after misleading the nation. Referring to the President’s address to the nation on 5 August 2024, the Jamaat Ameer noted that the President had stated that the then prime minister had resigned and that he had accepted the resignation. However, he later denied this in subsequent media interviews.

The third reason, Dr Shafiqur said, was what he described as the President’s “betrayal” of the nation over the July Charter. He claimed that after the July uprising, the President personally signed an ordinance stating that elections would be held on 12 February and that those elected would take oath both as members of parliament and as members of the reform council, with the same person administering both oaths on the same day.

He said opposition members had taken both oaths, but the ruling party had not. He also alleged that the President failed to convene a session of the reform council within 30 days of the gazette publication, which he described as the President’s responsibility.

According to the Jamaat chief, around 70% of voters had supported the proposal in a referendum, yet the President failed to implement it.

The Opposition Leader said they had requested both the government and the Speaker not to allow the President to deliver the speech, but the request was not accepted. 

However, he added that the protest was limited to the specific issue and that opposition MPs would continue to participate in parliamentary proceedings.

Earlier in the House, NCP Convener Nahid Islam had also urged the Speaker not to allow anyone associated with “fascism” to address Parliament.

“This is a fascism-free parliament. Those associated with fascism should not be allowed to speak in the House,” he said.

When the President entered the chamber to deliver his address, Nahid repeatedly asked the speaker for an opportunity to speak, informing him that the opposition leader wished to present their position. 

However, they were not given the floor, prompting the opposition MPs to walk out in protest.