Opposition leader and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Sunday said that nationwide justice hinges on a parliament that practices fairness-not merely preaches it.
Speaking in the Jatiya Sangsad, he argued that institutions derive legitimacy from impartial conduct, and without it, talk of justice rings hollow.
At the outset, he congratulated newly appointed Deputy Speaker Kaisar Kamal, appreciating his references to Quranic principles and the governance of Abu Bakr. But the praise came with a clear expectation: neutrality must be practiced consistently, not selectively.
Shafiqur Rahman said the country looks to parliament as the nerve center of state affairs, where fairness should set the tone for governance across all sectors. The Deputy Speaker's chair, he noted, is not ceremonial-it carries the weight of ensuring balance, protecting dissent, and upholding rules without bias.
"If the chair remains impartial and ensures everyone gets their due, the opposition will cooperate with all reasonable initiatives," he said, offering conditional support rather than blanket endorsement.
Acknowledging that errors are inevitable in parliamentary proceedings, he said the opposition stands ready to help correct them-provided there is openness to scrutiny. Constructive correction, he suggested, is preferable to defensive governance.
He expressed hope that a justice-oriented parliament would translate into broader national fairness, where institutions function without partisan distortion.
Earlier in the day, Shafiqur Rahman submitted a notice under Article 68 seeking to convene a session of the constitutional reform council. The notice was placed during a meeting at the opposition leader's office in the parliament complex around 11am, signaling a push for structural reforms alongside rhetorical commitments.
