Under fire in parliament for the current chaos in the transport sector, Highways and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said he has to adjust as a minister while discharging his duties. “I want to tell you one thing very clearly, there’re so many problems. You’ll have to face so many things when you'll be there in the [hot] seat. While discharging my duties as a minister, I need to adjust to so many issues,” he said. The minister said this while facing blistering attacks by opposition MPs over an anarchic situation and recent fatal accidents on roads. He, however, admitted that restoring discipline in the transport sector is a must for the country. “We talk too much. But we don’t work that much compared to what we say. We don’t implement the job what we believe in, and what we implement, we don’t believe in that.” Earlier participating in the discussion during the passage of the “Highway Bill-2021,” several MPs of BNP and Jatiya Party came down heavily on the minister and the government for the sorry state of the roads and the transport sector. Read: Now people call us “collaborators” for overpraising govt: Chunnu They also criticized the minister for reducing the severity of punishment and financial penalty in the Road, Transport Bill-2018 due to pressure from the transport owners and workers. In the face of the strong criticism by the MPs over the fatal road accidents, the minister said it is not only reckless driving or the drivers who are responsible for the road crashes -- reckless crossing of roads by pedestrians are also responsible for such tragic incidents. He said VIPs are also responsible for mismanagement and disorder on the roads as they are unwilling to follow traffic rules. Participating in the discussion, Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque Chunnu said what is the government doing? “Two people were killed in two days. How a driver of the city corporation can hire another person to drive a vehicle,” he blasted.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Saturday said he has no idea who are actually siphoning off money from the country and asked the opposition MPs to provide him with a list of money launderers. “I don’t siphon off money. I believe you (MPs) also don't. How will I be able to know of those who're siphoning off money if you don’t provide me with a list!” he said. During the passage of Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill 2021, the minister came under fire by the opposition MPs for his “failure” to stop money laundering. The finance minister claimed that the amount of default loans is now the lowest in the country since independence. “In 2006, the total amount of the default loan was 13.15 percent. The amount of default loan is Tk 101, 150 crore as of September. This is 8.12 percent, and it’s the lowest,” he insisted. Read: HC seeks list of money launderers While participating in the discussion on the Bill, several opposition MPs alleged that thousands of crores of Taka were siphoned off abroad from the country. The opposition MPs demanded a reply from the finance minister and demanded formation of a banking commission to look into these matters.

Opposition MPs on Thursday urged the government to ensure democracy and good governance eradicating corruption and irregularities in order to implement the spirit of the country’s independence. But the treasury bench MPs mainly highlighted the development of Bangladesh during the Awami League rule, particularly under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Both opposition and ruling party MPs participated in a two-day special discussion that concluded on Thursday in Parliament, marking the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence. Leader of the House and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday placed a proposal for holding a general discussion in Parliament under section 47 of the Rules of Procedure to mark the 50 years of the country’s independence. The proposal was adopted unanimously by voice vote on Thursday after the general discussion. Fifty-nine MPs from across the board joined the discussion and spoke for 10 hours and 45 minutes. President Abdul Hamid on Wednesday delivered a commemorative speech, marking the Golden Jubilee of independence. Joining the discussion, Jatiya Party Secretary General Mujbul Haque said there is no doubt what the country has achieved, but corruption and irregularities need to be eradicated to materialize Bangabandhu’s dreams. "Bangabandhu had said corruption must be eradicated. But that was not done. In order to implement Bangabandhu's philosophy, corruption must be stopped,” he said. “Plundering of banks, default loans and money laundering were not Bangabandhu's dreams. We’ll have to stop all these ugly things,” said the JP MP. Read: Opposition MPs slam mismanagement, politics in health sector Another JP lawmaker, Anisul Islam Mahmud, said all the achievements would be shattered if the institutions of the country are not strengthened. “Though 50 years have elapsed since independence, our institutions have not been strengthened enough. So, we’ve to do that. Otherwise, all the achievements will go in vain,” he said. He said there is no denial that Bangladesh has witnessed significant development. “Since election is the main principle of democracy, I urge the Prime Minister to strengthen the EC.” Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said social disparity continues to expand in the country even though Bangladesh has attained massive development. “The disparity has widened and turned acute. Bangladesh is seeing unprecedented development under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina as there has been marked progress in all economic indexes…but the assets and wealth of the country have got concentrated in the hands of a few,” he said. Expressing dismay over the participation of businessmen in politics, Menon said, "We’ve noticed today that a military-civil bureaucracy-rich group has developed centering the ruling power.” Noting that Bangabandhu had brought the bureaucracy under public representatives, Menon said now the public representatives are under the bureaucracy. “We’ve to take the development and democracy forward simultaneously, and resist all sorts of communal activities,” he said. Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque said Bangladesh has now become as the role model for development in the last 50 years of independence, proving all the speculations of international groups wrong. Read: Opposition MPs call Health Minister “shameless” over health sector “failures” He said many international personalities had predicted that Bangladesh might not survive as an independent country and even if it survives it would have to depend on foreign aid. “But Bangladesh is now a role model proving their predictions wrong,” he said. The Agriculture Minister urged all to get united to implement the ideology of Bangabandhu. AL MP Shajahan Khan said the ideology of Bangabandhu and the spirit of Liberation War are the only values for people to take the country forward. He urged the people of Bangladesh to fight all the conspiracies against the country. “We all would have to be united under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.” BNP MP Rumeen Farhana said Bangladesh was liberated as an independent country with a motto of establishing democracy. “But in the last one decade, limited democracy has been introduced in Bangladesh,” she said. Rumin said, the “more development, less democracy” culture is going on in Bangladesh now just like Ayub's (Pakistani autocratic ruler) “basic democracy”. BNP MP Harunur Rashid slammed the government saying that corruption is everywhere, especially in the health and education sectors. He said there is no democracy and the rule of law in Bangladesh.

Terming Health Minister Zahid Maleque a "shameless man" for his “failure, widespread corruption in the health sector and mismanagement in coronavirus treatment, opposition MPs of Jatiya Party and BNP on Saturday demanded his immediate resignation. They sharply criticized the health minister in Parliament for his failure to ensure oxygen in different hospitals for Covid-19 patients as many died in Satkhira and Bogura districts. The health minister was not there in the House but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present at the time. BNP MP Gulam Mohammad Siraj from Bogura-6 first launched the blistering attack on the health minister while speaking on a point of order. He alleged that around 24 Covid-19 patients died in the last two days in Bogura for lack of oxygen. The BP MP said Mohammad Ali Hospital in Bogra is a dedicated hospital to Covid-19 treatment but there are only eight ICU beds there and only two high-flow nasal cannula oxygen facilities. “As a result, the rest of the ICU beds are useless.” Also read: Corruption in health sector widespread: GM Quader He also said 450 beds in 3 hospitals in Bogra are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients leaving no scope for the hospitalization of new patients. Gulam Mohammad demanded immediate supply of 20 high-flow oxygen to every hospital. Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in parliament GM Quader, in his winding-up speech, pointed out widespread mismanagement in the health sector, including the health ministry. He said the health ministry is still there where it was a year ago. “There has been no improvement.”