Moral turpitude: How can Murad remain an MP if he resigns from cabinet

I talked to Prothom Alo’s Sarishabari correspondent Shafiqul Islam on Tuesday morning. Till then state minister for information Murad Hassan did not resign from the cabinet. By that time, Bangladesh Chhatra League brought out a procession against Murad Hassan in his constituency, Sarishabari. Not only this, sweets were distributed as news broke out that Murad will resign from the cabinet. Ruling Awami League’s Jamalpur district unit has convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday evening. It is assumed that they too would take position against Murad Hassan. Are they going to take a tougher stand after getting any hint from the centre? Earlier, following Latif Sidddiqui’s resignation from the cabinet the Awami League expelled him from the party, getting recommendation from the local committee.

While writing this article, I got the news that Murad has sent his resignation letter to the prime minister. He is no longer a cabinet member from the moment he sent the letter. Now he is an ex-state minister. Earlier, wishing not to be named, chairman of a union parishad in Sarishabari upazila said, “The order to the state minister to resign is shameful for us. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has saved the party from any damage. The prime minister has taken the right decision at the right time.” Upazila Awami League organising secretary Rafiqul Islam said, “State minister Murad’s speech has harmed the image of Awami League. The party has also suffered. Murad used to value the ‘hybrid’ leaders, not those who sacrificed for the party. That’s why we brought out a celebratory procession after being informed that he was ordered to resign.”

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Sarishabari upazila Awami League president Sanwar Hossain said, “I just want to say that the behaviour and speech of the state minister for information embarrassed the party. The party’s image was being harmed as he was not resigning.”

Who is this Murad Hassan? Allegedly, he was a member of Bangladesh Chhatra Dal (the student wing of de facto opposition BNP) when he was a student. Later, he joined Bangladesh Chhatra League (the student wing of Awami League). He was elected an Awami League MP, then a state minister. First he was made the state minister for health and then state minister for information. But no one could say he made any contribution in the two ministries. But his contributions were recorded in other sectors that led to this downfall.

The government policymakers were sleeping though the social media was abuzz about indecent and unethical speeches of Murad Hassan for the last few days. First, he talked about state religion. He announced a return to Bangabandhu’s four main principles of the state. Many a leader and cabinet members issued such statements in the last 13 years but worked exactly opposite to that. As a result, people did not take this into cognizance. What they marked is his indecent language and boastful speeches regarding forcing certain persons to leave the country and beating some other.

Could a state minister talk in such impolite and offensive language in a country that constitutionally acknowledges equal rights of men and women and pledges in its Proclamation of Independence to ensure social justice and human dignity? However powerful the individual Murad Hassan is, he could not have been so capricious and courageous to do whatever he likes without the cushion of state power.

Then the indecent things he said about ailing BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is undergoing treatment at hospital, and her granddaughter Zaima Rahman is simply unpublishable. Those went viral on social media. It did not seem that the incident could wake the government up. Though BNP and some of the civil society members protested at this, no one of the government said anything.

In this context, a phone conversation Murad had with a noted actress two years ago was leaked. His language was so indecent that we don’t know how to condemn that. Despite this, he was beyond reach for two years. Who could speak against him, an MP of Jatiya Sangsad, the highest institution of our democracy, and a member of the government and state minister for information?

Murad Hassan not only used crude and rude language while talking with the actress, he also threatened to pick her up using different law enforcing and intelligence agencies and take her to a hotel. In an interview with Nahid Helal he made obnoxious remarks about the female students of Dhaka University who stay at Rokeya Hall and Shamsunnahar Hall and are activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League. By speaking in this manner, he not only insulted those students, rather all women of the country. How could a state minister of a country that constitutionally acknowledges equal rights of men and women and pledges in its Proclamation of Independence to ensure social justice and human dignity say something so detestable? However powerful the individual Murad Hassan is, he could not have been so erratic and courageous to do whatever he likes without the cushion of state power.

Firstly, he has dishonoured the party post he is holding, then he has misused the MP post and power and influence of a cabinet member. The man who could use indecent language about the opposition leaders and their grandchildren can in no way say decent things about his party leaders.

In another video, Murad Hassan was seen abusing a person in extremely obnoxious language in front of guests at a wedding ceremony. The man, who is a medical practitioner by profession, said he is very abusive. The place of such an abusive person cannot be in the civilised society.

Following the leak of phone conversation with the actress, prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered him to resign from the cabinet within 24 hours and he resigned on Tuesday. Earlier, on Monday afternoon, newspersons asked the Awami League general secretary whether any action would be taken against him for his phone conversation with the actress and detestable remarks about women BCL leaders. Obaidul Quader said he would discuss the matter with the prime minister. Then, at 8:00 at night, he said the prime minister asked Murad Hassan to resign within 24 hours. It has been learned that the concerned department of the government first examined whether the conversation was really of Murad. When the prime minister was sure of it, she took the decision.

Then it can certainly be said that he had to resign from the cabinet for moral turpitude. The question is how could he remain an MP if he has resigned from the cabinet for moral turpitude?

Article 66 (D) of the Constitution says, a person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of parliament who “has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude.” The Murad Hassan issue is yet to be taken to the court. But the prime minister has forced him to resign for nothing but moral turpitude. As of writing this article, his party has not taken any action against him alleging anti-organisational activities. In that case, his only crime is moral turpitude and that is proven.

Senior lawyer ZI Khan Panna said if a person was forced to resign for moral turpitude, s/he cannot remain an MP for the same reason. Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua also said so.

* Sohrab Hassan is joint editor of Prothom Alo and a poet. He can be reached at [email protected]

* The article, originally published in the online edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten for the English edition by Shameem Reza