Senior ruling party lawmaker Fazle Rabbi Miah on Saturday titled the finance ministry as “the worst possible ministry” and remarked that Finance Minister AMA Muhith always created complications whenever any issue was sent to him.
Fazle Rabbi made the observation while he was speaking at a national conference titled “Role of Human Rights Defenders: Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Bangladesh” at Hotel Ruposhi Bangla.
While discussing the works of the public administration ministry and the finance ministry, Rabbi said, “Finance ministry is the worst possible ministry in our country. He (the finance minister) creates complications every time, whenever any issue is sent to him. Sometimes we even feel embarrassed for his remarks and speech. Maybe he talks the way he does because of his old age.”
The auditorium burst into laughter at Fazle Rabbi’s remarks.
Criticising the budget and talking over the interrelation between budget and human rights defenders, he also said, “Except Tajuddin, all other finance ministers appointed in the country were either bureaucrats or army officials.
They made their decisions in their air conditioned rooms. They had no relations with the grassroots. How would you expect their decisions to be pro-people and to protect human rights?”
“It is difficult to live in a country where ghee costs less than oil,” Rabbi added which led the audience to laugh out loud again.
Fazle Rabbi, the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on ministry of law, justice and parliamentary affairs, came down heavily on the law ministry as well in his speech.
“Despite being the chairman of the parliamentary committee for this ministry, I must say, this ministry is not dynamic at all there are so many black laws still in effect in Bangladesh, including the Special Powers Act.
The country is still being regulated by criminal procedure code and penal code which were enacted in the British period.
These laws need to be amended and updated,” Rabbi said, remarking on the inaction of the ministry and the Law Commission.
Law Commission Member Shah Alam and National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman was present at the programme.
