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Honourable
Members,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As
we are moving towards the close of the First Conference
of the Institute of Parliamentary Studies, I must first
and foremost express my thanks to you for your
participation. The
fact alone of meeting together under the umbrella of the
IPS for the first time is a very positive sign of the
willingness of all Members and other distinguished
participants to share our experiences and ideas, with
the ultimate aim of improving the efficiency and
effectiveness of our Parliament.
While
still in its infancy, the IPS will undoubtedly be an
important step in our continuing efforts to strengthen
our parliamentary democracy and we will work hard to
ensure it satisfies the demands and needs of our
parliamentary institution.
I
believe that this Conference has been a significant
start for the IPS, focusing on one of the core issues of
our Parliament as it stands today: the Committee System.
We are most grateful to the presenters of the seven
panels who have worked very hard and proposed many
excellent recommendations, which have been enriched by
the participants and will be the basis for our national
and international experts when they will have to present
their advisory opinions to the Committee on Rules of
Procedure of the Bangladesh Parliament.
I
would like to also give a special thanks to the members
of the Steering Committee of the UNDP/Parliament
Secretariat “Strengthening Parliamentry Democracy”
Project, chaired by the Honourable Speaker and composed
of both Chief Whips, Mr. Abul Hasanat Abdullah and Mr.
Khondkar Delowar Hussain.
Their guidance and support in the organisation of
this event has been valuable.
We particularly thank Mr. Humayun Rasheed
Choudhury, our distinguished Honourable Speaker who has
given us leadership every moment and has always seen all
the arrangements made for the Conference personally.
Without his guidance we would not have been able to
organise the Conference in the way in which we have.
We
are thankful to the UNDP for their support to the
“Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy” Project
which has sponsored the organisation of the Conference.
We are particularly thankful to both the print
and electronic media for doing an excellent job in
projecting this Conference to the people. Last but not
the least I am most thankful to the Secretary, Mr. Md.
Quazi Monzur-i-Mowla, and his officials of the
Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat who have worked
hard in order to make this conference a success.
As
Parliamentarians, we hold the very great responsibility
of representing our citizens. Members of Parliament are
the constitutional link between the government and the
people, and it is through us that the aspirations and
needs of the people are communicated. If this point of
contact between people and state is not functioning
freely and successfully, then our system will have
failed at its most important link.
As
Parliamentarians, we hold also the responsibility of
ensuring that our Parliament is as dynamic as our
society. In the light of our Parliamentary needs and the
demands of the best informed public, the need for change
should not become a party political one, for people of
all political persuasions can appreciate the importance
of accountability, institutional development, and gender
balance towards the strengthening of our parliamentary
democracy.
A
new millenium cannot help but bring new hopes, new
aspirations and new challenges. Our parliamentary system
is still very young. We will have to give it time to see
its evolution and to allow the accumulation of rich
practice. But we have begun to make considerable
progress. Our
challenge is now to continue to build on this path of
progress, further developing our parliamentary culture,
our legal basis and the material tools we have at our
disposal.
I
thank you all again and now declare that the first
Conference of the Institute of Parliamentary Studies is
concluded.
Thank
you.
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