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All over the
democratic world the committee system has been
recognised as the most notable innovation for
strengthening the legislative role of Parliament. They
have proved to be most effective tool through which
Parliament as an institution and MPs as its
representatives can fulfil their constitutional duties.
Within months of the birth of Bangladesh, the people
were given a Constitution that incorporated a committee
system within Parliament. While periods of military rule
and presidential form of government did not allow the
committee system to function effectively, a new and
significant journey began with the reintroduction of the
parliamentary system.
The
committee system established under the provisions of our
Constitution and the Rules of Procedure consists
presently of 46 Committees and each committee enjoys
powers to appoint one or more sub-committees. The
Committees have the obligation to examine draft Bills,
review the enforcement of laws, and investigate or
inquire into the activities of a Ministry.
The committees have also been empowered to
enforce the attendance of witnesses and examine them on
oath and compel the production of documents.
The
seventh Parliament has made significant efforts to
strengthen the committees, with the aim of placing them
at the focal point of all its legislative and oversight
functions. A
number of reforms in parliamentary rules and procedures
have since been put in place.
The first amendments carried out in the Rules of
Procedure stipulated that a Parliamentary Committee
would be chaired by a Member of Parliament who is not a
Minister. The Standing Committees were constituted after
this amendment. The second change, which took place on
July 23, 1996, requires all government Bills introduced
in the House to first be referred to the Standing
Committee of the Ministry concerned for examination and
report. The bill is now considered in the House only
after the Committee has submitted its report.
The
Conference on Comparative Constitutional Law:
Parliamentary Committee Systems was convened by the
Institute of Parliamentary Studies.
It proved to be an important step in promoting
debate on an issue which is seen by all Members of
Parliament as fundamental to the effective discharge of
their functions. It
is by promoting such opportunities for open dialogue and
exchange that we will be able to build consensus on such
institutional reforms, and work together as a House to
further strengthen our role and our functions. This
report comprises the papers presented at the Conference
as well as the discussions, opinions, ideas and
recommendations made by Members, presenters of papers,
and representatives of the civil society at the
Conference. As
such, I am confident that it will prove to be a valuable
document for our present and future parliamentarians, as
well as for anyone interested in our Parliament.
Because
we believe that one important means of building
knowledge is through the sharing of experiences and
ideas, the IPS will organise frequent opportunities for
such dialogue and debate.
We were very fortunate in this Conference to have
benefited from the active and enthusiastic participation
of Members from all Parties. This has greatly enriched
the discussions and I would like to take the opportunity
to thank all participating Members for devoting their
time. I also
thank Members for openly sharing their thoughts on our
present committee system and their recommendations for
future improvements. In each forum organised by the
Institute, we will aim to involve a broad representation
of individuals from our civil society, including
academia, national non-governmental organisations and
international donors. These
persons represent not only sources of specialised
knowledge and expertise, they also represent the
citizens, the electors and the tax-payers who have laid
their trust in the Parliament and its Members. I
therefore thank all those from Universities, donor
agencies, NGOs and other institutions who participated
in the Conference.
In
the organisation of this Conference, we are grateful to
have been able to utilise the support of the United
Nations Development Programme, which is currently
providing significant assistance to our Parliament.
As many of you are will be aware, the Parliament
Secretariat has been working with UNDP within the
context of the "Strengthening Parliamentary
Democracy" Project.
It is from this project that support is being
provided to the initial establishment and activities of
the Institute of Parliamentary Studies. And finally, to
the Secretary and all his colleagues at the Parliament
Secretariat, I extend my sincere appreciation for their
dedication and unique sense of teamwork in the
preparation of the Conference. Without such co-operation
and tireless work, organising this Conference
successfully on such a large scale would not have been
possible.
Parliamentary
democracy in this country is still young and we are
working towards establishing our own traditions,
practices and conventions.
We have made progress and it is now our duty to
ensure that this path of progress and institutional
reform is continued. I am convinced that this conference
has represented one more step in the journey.
Humayun
Rasheed Choudhury
Speaker
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