Opposition stages fourth walkout from parliament

The opposition alliance, led by Jamaat-e-Islami, walked out of the parliament on Friday for the fourth time in the ongoing inaugural session.

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman alleged “multiple breaches of political consensus” by ruling party lawmakers, presenting the issue as the reason for the latest walkout.

He also alleged that Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed was being unfair towards the opposition.

The opposition alleged that the “July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill, 2026” was passed with three amendments despite a political agreement that it will passed “as it is.”

The opposition leaders further alleged that 16 other crucial state reform-related interim ordinances were kept pending, putting them at risk of relapse.

Shafiqur Rahman said that under the interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, all the active political parties agreed to ratify 133 ordinances issued by the transitional administration.

After elections, the BNP-dominated parliament formed a special committee, where the participants across party lines agreed to ratify 98 of the 133 ordinances in their original form.

However, on Friday, the “July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill, 2026,” one of the 98 ordinances, was amended only 30 minutes before its passage.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam alleged that worryingly the amendment paved the way for the Cultural Affairs Minister to assume the lead role in the museum’s board of directors, instead of a government-appointed expert as outlined in the ordinance.

The amendment would allow politicisation of the museum and was the result of “political burglary in broad daylight.”

Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Rai Chowdhury said the amendment was proposed by a non-government lawmaker and not by the government. Furthermore, appointment of a minister at a board of directors of a government institution is a “normal practice” and does not mean “politicisation by default.”

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said that the involvement of a cabinet figure in the museum’s board would prevent other board members from engaging in “corruption and anti-uprising activities.”

The law minister also said that the pending 16 ordinances would be brought to the parliament’s next session after conducting further scrutiny. These will be brought in consultation with the opposition, he assured.

Earlier, the ruling party chief whip also said the ordinances would be brought at the next session.

However, Shafiqur declined to have faith in the ruling party lawmakers saying “when present consensus has been breached, trusting on future understanding is meaningless.”

At one point, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed told Shafiqur: “It appears you had already decided to walk out. You have the democratic right to do that.”

In response, Shafiqur alleged that the speaker did not do justice to the opposition during Friday’s session.

Afterwards, he led the walkout of opposition lawmakers.