The Parents’ Care Bill 2013, which was supposed to be passed on Thursday, is now likely to be enacted on October 10, Chief Whip Abdus Shahid told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque submitted the private-member law on February 3, 2011.
“We cannot pass the Parents’ Care Bill today (Thursday) due to some technical reasons. It is likely to be enacted next Thursday (October 10),” Abdus Shahid said.
“It has already been decided that the bill will be passed. The prime minister and leader of the house have consented to pass the bill,” he said.
The Parents’ Care Bill proposes that children must take care of their parents or face financial punishment or imprisonment. Siblings would discuss the maintenance of their parents in the case of more than one child.
The children must also guarantee co-habitation with their parents and can in no way force the parents to live in a home for the elderly and must guarantee all their basic necessities.
Spouses or even relatives (including in-laws) of any children proved to have objected to supporting their parents would be considered as offenders and receive punishment. A first class magistrate court would settle the cases.
Any children whose parents have passed away would be bound to maintain their grandparents, if alive.
For mutual settlement of the cases, the local government representatives such as chairmen, members and other persons authorised by them would settle the disputes if they wish.
According to Bangladesh’s parliamentary practice, Thursday is called private-member day. All MPs other than the ministers are known as the private members, irrespective of their party loyalties.
Every Thursday, when the assembly is in session, the MPs are given the freedom to table legislative proposals on any issue they like. These proposals are called private-member bills.
After initiation in the House, the bills go to the parliamentary committee on private members’ bill, which decides whether the proposed laws are worthy of further consideration.
If the JS body recommends in passage, the House discusses the bills on specific Thursdays.
According to parliamentary practices, the proposers finally withdraw their bills after discussion in the House or if the assembly rejects the same by voice vote in cases of denial to lift the proposal. The private member bills are only passed in the House when the treasury bench wishes.
