Rumeen’s remarks trigger uproar in Parliament, allegations of verbal abuse

Independent member of parliament (MP) Rumeen Farhana’s remarks triggered a major uproar in the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) on Wednesday, as members of the ruling party protested by shouting and creating a commotion after she criticised the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) government.

The parliament became heated for some time, with Rumeen Farhana also alleging that she had been subjected to verbal abuse.

The incident took place during a discussion on the Bank Resolution (Amendment) Bill before it was passed. The commotion disrupted the normal proceedings of Parliament for some time. Rumeen Farhana had previously served as a BNP lawmaker from a reserved seat in the 11th parliament. She is now an independent MP.

Taking part in the discussion on the bill, Rumeen Farhana said, “Every government has a certain character. It cannot be that the BNP comes to power and there is no gas and electricity crisis. It cannot be that the BNP comes to power and there is no fertiliser crisis, or that poor farmers do not go to fertiliser factories and loot them.”

Rumeen Farhana’s remarks prompted BNP lawmakers to protest loudly. She continued, “It is also impossible, honourable Speaker, for the BNP to come to power and Bangladesh not become the champion in corruption.”

At this point, BNP lawmakers began shouting even more loudly. Rumeen Farhana said, “It cannot be that the BNP comes to power and Bangladesh does not achieve the highest position in loan defaults for the first time. So, the BNP coming to power means becoming the highest in loan defaults, having more than Tk660,000 crore in defaulted loans, and so on and so forth.”

Amid the uproar from ruling-party lawmakers, Rumeen Farhana said, “Honourable Speaker, this parliament is so intolerant that it feels as though we have gone back to the Awami League era. It’s amusing, not bad. When we used to say these things to the Awami League, they would also create a commotion. Now the BNP is behaving in the same way. In fact, it is behaving even worse.”

Amid the continued shouting, Rumeen Farhana went on, “Most of the MPs in this parliament are known as loan defaulters. Going to the High Court and filing writ petitions to have their names removed before an election—that is an old tradition of ours. We have seen plenty of this.”

When the time allocated to Rumeen Farhana ended, her microphone was switched off. The uproar in parliament, however, continued, and she carried on speaking without a microphone.

Drawing the Speaker’s attention, she repeatedly alleged that she had been subjected to obscene verbal abuse. Although the Speaker repeatedly asked her to sit down, she remained standing.

At this point, NCP (National Citizen Party) MP Abdul Hannan Masud also stood up in protest. He was heard saying without a microphone that an MP could not be abused in such a manner.

Amid the uproar, Deputy Speaker Kaysar Kamal, who was presiding over the sitting, repeatedly attempted to calm the MPs. However, no one appeared willing to stop. Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni also stood up and said something. The Deputy Speaker repeatedly urged all members to remain calm.

The Deputy Speaker said, “A member is speaking. He or she has the freedom to speak. But other members obstructing their speech is outside democratic norms.”

Rumeen Farhana was still standing and attempting to say something. The Deputy Speaker asked her to sit down.

Addressing the Chief Whip, Kaysar Kamal said, “Every MP has liberty here; they will present their views. When your turn comes, you can refute them. But obstructing someone from delivering their remarks is not desirable under any circumstances.”

He then called on another independent MP, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to take part in the discussion on the bill. The uproar was still continuing at the time.

Rumeen Farhana and Hannan Masud were seen standing and attempting to say something, while the Speaker asked them to sit down. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman then delivered his remarks.

Later, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman stood up and said that if an MP’s remarks were unparliamentary, the Speaker could issue a ruling on them. The relevant minister could also respond.

The Opposition Leader also said, “What she said today, we could not understand at all. We could not make out whether she was abusing someone or offering a prayer. Could she actually deliver her speech?”

At this stage, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said they wanted all problems to be resolved in parliament. However, if they themselves created problems, that would become a problem.

Noting that the incumbent government had inherited a fragile economy and fragile political situation, the Chief Whip said that when an MP spoke, they too needed to be mindful of what they were saying. He added that only a few days earlier, Rumeen Farhana had spoken in favour of the BNP.

At this point, Deputy Speaker Kaysar Kamal said, “As Chief Whip, you also have a responsibility to whip the members of parliament. An honourable member has the right to speak. If anything is unparliamentary, it will be expunged from the record by the Chair. But obstructing it is not right. And as Chief Whip, your primary responsibility is to maintain order in the House.”

Later, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said during the discussion on the bill, “I do not even understand what the issue is. What did I say? What was the discussion about?”

He said it was unfortunate that a completely irrelevant discussion had taken place in parliament.

Later, Rumeen Farhana told Prothom Alo that BNP lawmakers had verbally abused her using obscene language. She also questioned the role played by the Chief Whip during the incident.