President
New High Court judges call on president at Bangabhaban
The newly appointed judges of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh met the President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban this evening.
The newly appointed judges are Justice Mohammad Shawkat Ullah Chowdhury, Justice Md Atabullah, Justice Biswajit Debnath, Justice Md Aminul Islam, Justice Md Ali Reza, Justice Md Bazlur Rahman, Justice KM Imrul Kayesh, Justice Fahmida Quader, Justice Md Bashir Ullah, Justice SM Masud Hossain Dolan and Justice AKM Rabiul Hasan.
President's Press Secretary Zainal Abedin said in the briefing that congratulating the new judges of the High Court, President Hamid hoped that the new judges would utilize their talent and experience so that the people get justice quickly.
Mentioning the high expectations of the people towards the judiciary, the President stressed on increasing the use of modern technology in the judicial process to meet the expectations of the people.
Secretaries of the President were present at this time.
Also read: Chief Justice presents annual report on JSC to President Hamid
Dean of diplomatic corps, envoy to SL call on president
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Tarek Mohammad Ariful Islam and Vatican Ambassador to Bangladesh and Dean of Diplomatic Corps Archbishop George Kochery paid a courtesy call on President Md Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban this evening.
The High Commissioner of Bangladesh posted in Sri Lanka briefed the President about the current situation in Sri Lanka.
He sought the President's guidance and full cooperation in fulfilling his duties.
During the meeting, President Abdul Hamid ordered to utilize the potential areas between the two countries in the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka.
The President said that the existing relations between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are very good.
He directed to take initiatives to further expand this relationship in various fields.
Read: New Bangladesh ambassadors to US, Ethiopia pay courtesy call on President
Then the president met Archbishop George Kochery, outgoing ambassador of the Vatican and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.
He thanked the President for his overall cooperation in discharging his duties.
The President thanked the outgoing Vatican Ambassador for his long successful tenure as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.
The President said that Bangladesh attaches great importance to the relationship with the Vatican.
He appreciated the steps taken by the outgoing Vatican envoy for the welfare of the Christian community of Bangladesh.
Secretaries concerned to the President were present on the occasion.
Sri Lanka’s ousted president Rajapaksa returns home
Sri Lanka’s former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country in July after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his home and office in a display of anger over the country’s economic crisis, has returned to the country after seven weeks.
Rajapaksa flew into Colombo’s Bandaranaike international airport around midnight Friday from Bangkok via Singapore. On being welcomed by lawmakers in his party, Rajapaksa left the airport in a motorcade heavily guarded by armed soldiers and reached a government-owned house allocated to him as a former president, at the center of the capital, Colombo.
On July 13, the ousted leader, his wife and two bodyguards left aboard an air force plane for the Maldives, before traveling to Singapore from where he officially resigned. He flew to Thailand two weeks later.
Rajapaksa has no court case or arrest warrant pending against him. The only court case he was facing for alleged corruption during his time as the secretary to the ministry of defense under his older brother’s presidency was withdrawn when he was elected president in 2019 because of constitutional immunity.
Read: Sri Lanka leader proposes 25-year plan for crisis-hit nation
For months, Sri Lanka has been in the grips of its worst economic crisis, which triggered extraordinary protests and unprecedented public rage that ultimately forced Rajapaksa and his brother, the former prime minister, to step down. The situation in the bankrupt country was made worse by global factors like the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but many hold the once-powerful Rajapaksa family as responsible for severely mismanaging the economy and tipping it into crisis.
The economic meltdown has seen monthslong shortages of essentials such as fuel, medicine and cooking gas due to a severe shortage of foreign currency. Though cooking gas supplies were restored through World Bank support, shortages of fuel, critical medicines and some food items continue.
The island nation has suspended repayment of nearly $7 billion in foreign debt due this year. The country’s total foreign debt amounts to more than $51 billion, of which $28 billion has to be repaid by 2027.
On Tuesday, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over after Rajapaksa resigned, and his administration reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a $2.9 billion bailout package over four years to help the country recover.
Rajapaksa, a former military officer, was elected on promises to uplift the country’s economy and ensure national security after Islamic State-inspired bomb attacks killed some 270 people in churches and hotels on Easter Sunday 2019. He relinquished his American citizenship when he contested the election because laws at the time made dual citizens ineligible from holding political office.
As a top defense official he is accused of overseeing human rights violations by the military during the country’s three-decade civil war with the now-defeated Tamil Tiger rebels who fought for an independent state for the country’s ethnic minority Tamils.
In April, protesters started camping outside the president’s office in the heart of Colombo and chanted “Gota, go home,” a demand for Rajapaksa to quit, which quickly became the rallying cry of the movement.
The demonstrations dismantled the Rajapaksa family’s grip on politics. Before Rajapaksa resigned, his older brother stepped down as prime minister and three more close family members quit their Cabinet positions.
But the country’s new president, Wickremesinghe, has since cracked down on protests. His first action as leader included dismantling the protest tents in the middle of the night as police forcibly removed demonstrators from the site and attacked them.
There is genuine fear among people who want to protest now, said Bhavani Fonseksa, with the independent think tank Center for Policy Alternatives.
“Whether people will take to the streets to demonstrate again is still to be seen, especially since there’s been so much repression since Ranil Wickremesinghe came to power. Several protesters have been arrested so there is genuine fear,” she said.
Dayan Jayatilleka, a former diplomat and political analyst, said the ruling SLPP party will welcome him back, but didn’t think his return would spark people to flood the streets again. “They will be sour — it is still far too early for him to return,” he said.
“There is no way Gotabaya will be forgiven for his transgressions but I think now there is more bitterness than public rage that awaits him,” Jayatilleka added.
For Nazly Hameem, an organizer who helped lead the protest movement, the former president’s return isn’t an issue “as long as he is held accountable.”
“He is a Sri Lankan citizen so no one can prevent him from coming back. But as someone who wants justice against the corrupt system, I would like to see action taken — there should be justice, they should file cases against him and hold him accountable for what he did to the country.”
“Our slogan was ‘Gota, go home’ — we didn’t expect him to flee, we wanted him to resign. As long as he doesn’t involve himself in active politics, it won’t be a problem.”
President prorogues the Parliament
The 19th session of the 11th Parliament was prorogued on Thursday after five sittings.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury read out the prorogation order of the president at 8:48pm.
The Parliament in this session elected Shamsul Hoque Tuku as the deputy speaker.
Three bills were passed in the House during the session that convened on August 28.
Some 37 questions were received for the prime minister to respond. She replied to 15 questions.
Read: Parliament passes Public Debt bill by voice vote
The session received 986 questions for different ministers and they replied to 369 questions.
Besides, two proposals were adopted in the Parliament after discussions in this session.
One proposal was on government measures to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, global unrest following Russia-Ukraine war and another was on the need for identifying the masterminds of August 15 carnage in 1975.
President summons Parliament session on Sunday
The 19th session of the 11th Parliament will begin at 5 pm on Sunday where the new deputy Speaker will be elected.
President Md Abdul Hamid convened the session exercising the power bestowed upon him as per the Clause (1) of Article 72 of the constitution.
On 30 June, the eighteenth session of 11th Parliament was prorogued after 20 sittings.
The new deputy Speaker will be elected on the first day of this session. Before the start of the Parliament session at 4 pm, the duration of the session and other functions will be decided in the business advisory committee meeting. The business of the day will start with the nomination of the panel chairmen followed by the election of the new deputy Speaker.
In this case, an MP will place the name of the new deputy Speaker, which will be supported by another MP. The Speaker will then put the proposal on vote.
Generally, the Chief Whip of the Parliament places the proposal while another whip or senior member supportes it. According to the rules, if the post of Speaker or deputy Speaker becomes vacant, there is a provision for election within seven days if the Parliament is in session at that time.
And if the Parliament is not in the session, there is an obligation to elect on the first day of the next session.
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That is why the deputy Speaker will be elected at the beginning of Sunday's proceedings. Fazle Rabbi Miah, tgen deputy speaker, passed away on July 22 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, USA, while undergoing treatment.
His death left the post of deputy Speaker and Gaibandha-5 seat vacant. The new deputy Speaker will be sworn in by the President Hamid at 7pm.
According to the sources, this oath will be taken in the President's chamber in the Parliament building. After the election of the deputy Speaker, the Speaker will move the condolence motion on Fazle Rabbi Miah.
According to custom, the session will be adjourned after the discussion on the condolence motion. In this session as well, all the employees of the parliament secretariat, including the members of Parliament, are being tested for coronavirus. Three bills have been prepared to be placed in the upcoming session. These are the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bill, the Public Service (Amendment) Bill and the Universal Pensions Management Bill.
President Hamid urges public representatives to work for the people
President Md. Abdul Hamid has called upon the public representatives to work for the welfare of the people.
He made this call during an exchange of views with the public representatives, elite and government officials of Itna upazila in Kishoreganj on Wednesday evening.
The meeting was held at President Abdul Hamid Auditorium in Itna.
Also read: President inaugurates flood shelter, student residence in Kishoreganj's Itna
At the beginning, one minute silence in memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, followed by offering munajat.
The president called for electing only those who will work for the development of Haor (vast water body) area remaining above personal interest.
Highlighting the various steps taken by him for the development of Haor area, President Hamid underlined ensuring quality education in schools and colleges.
Local Members of Parliament and secretaries to the President were present at the meeting.
Also read: President Hamid visits dev projects in Kishoreganj
Earlier, he inaugurated President Abdul Hamid Government College Flood Shelter and First Lady Rashida Hamid Chhatri Nibash (dormitory for female students) at Itna.
The three-storied shelter and the student dormitory were built at a cost of about TK 3.50 crore and TK 1.10 crore respectively.
President going to home district for four days
President Abdul Hamid is going to visit his ancestral village, Mithamain of Kishoreganj district on Monday.
The helicopter carrying the President and his entourages will depart for Kishoreganj around 3:30 pm tomorrow.
The President will be given a guard of honor at Mithamain Dak Bungalow around 4 pm after reaching Mithamain, according to programme schedule.
Read: President asks judges to ease litigants' suffering through IT
Press secretary Md Joynal Abedin told UNB that the President will leave Dhaka for Kishoreganj tomorrow (Monday) on a four-day tour to inspect several ongoing development works at hoar area- Mithamain, Austagram and Itna upazilas of the district.
A series of view-exchange meetings with local representatives, professional bodies and civil society members will be held during his visit, he said.
He will spend nights at his ancestral residence at Kamalpur of Mithamain upazila during the visit.
President Hamid is scheduled to return to Dhaka on Thursday (August 25) afternoon.
President observed National Mourning Day
President Abdul Hamid hosted a milad and doa mahfil at Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban on the ocassion of the National Mourning Day and the 47th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Bangabhaban Jame Masjid Pesh Imam Maulana Muhammad Saiful Kabir conducted the munajat.
A special munajat was offered seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and other family members, who faced martyrdom on the fateful night of August 15 in 1975.
Read: PM Hasina remembers Bangabandhu at Tungipara on National Mourning Day
Doa was offered seeking peace and prosperity of Bangladesh and the world as well as Muslim Ummah.
He also attended doa mahfil following health guidelines and maintaining social distancing.
Secretaries concerned, civil and military officials also attended the milad mahfil and munajat.
President urges Rotary to work for public welfare
President Abdul Hamid on Thursday urged the humanitarian organizations such as the Rotary International to come forward for the welfare of people affected by Covid-19 pandemic.
The President made the call when visiting Rotary International President Jennifer E. Jones met him at Bangabhaban in the evening.
During the meeting, Jones informed the president about the activities of the Rotary International.
Also read: Defend rights on our own initiative, president tells NHRC
At this time, she also highlighted the various activities of the global organisation in Bangladesh. Besides, she also praised the programme taken by the government to deal with pandemic.
Pointing out that various natural disasters including climate change are making the world much more unbearable, President Hamid urged the Rotarians to contribute more towards solving these problems.
The president emphasized on increasing the partnership between the governments and citizens of different countries in establishing world peace.
Also read: Chief Justice presents annual report on JSC to President Hamid
He said that the rich people of the society should take initiatives instead of depending on the government to solve various local problems.
Secretaries concerned to the president’s office were also present during the meeting.
President visits Bangabandhu Military Museum
President Abdul Hamid on Saturday visited the Bangabandhu Military Museum.
The President was received by Principal Staff Officer (PSO) Lieutenant General Waker-Uz-Zaman and senior officials of the Armed Forces Division on his arrival at the museum.
President's press secretary Joynal Abedin said the President was apprised of a brief history of the establishment of Bangabandhu Military Museum during his visit.
Also read: President Hamid calls for stepping up flood relief distribution
President Hamid, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Division, along with his family members and entourage visited various rooms of the Bangabandhu Military Museum and installations there.
He also enjoyed the "Light and Sound Display" near the fountain in the museum premises.
The President also signed the visitors’ book kept at the designated table in the President's corner of the Bangabandhu Military Museum.
Also read: President receives report on Bangabandhu birth centenary celebration
The President also attended a photo session there too.
The museum authority presented a crest to Abdul Hamid while the President also presented a crest to the Bangabandhu Military Museum Authority.
The ‘Bangabandhu Military Museum’ was built on 10 acres of land on the west side of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theater at Bijoy Sarani in the capital.
Secretaries concerned to the President and senior officials concerned accompanied the President during the visit.