Ruling Awami League reserved seat lawmaker Tarana Halim, also an executive member of the Awami League, on Wednesday demanded that the names of money launderers and market syndicate members should be revealed in the parliament.
Participating in an unscheduled discussion in Jatiya Sangsad, the ruling party lawmaker at the same time urged the lawmakers, who are involved in the syndicates, to develop the habit of self-criticism.
‘There are syndicates in the transport sector, syndicates on roads... the market is not coming under control. We want to know about the syndicates. We want to know whose names are there in the Panama Papers and the Paradise Papers,’ she said.
Tarana Halim said, ‘We want to know who have home in Canada, in Begum Para, and who have smuggled money,’
There are many honest people, who are established and are here today because of their honesty, she said, adding that the election manifesto of the Awami League mentions the issue of preventing money laundering.
‘Who will catch thieves? If you are not thieves, why didn’t you catch them?’ she said.
She requested the opposition to praise the government for taking action against corrupt people.
‘We have just started. We will see it at the end,’ she said.
Chief Whip Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury requested the floor of the parliament before Tarana Halim’s speech ended.
He was given the floor by deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku.
Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury said that he wanted to know what the Tarana’s discussion was about.
‘I do not understand what the discussion is about... is it a general discussion, is it a budget session discussion? If it is a point of order, I want to know about it. If there is a point of order, there should be allocated time for that,’ he said.
‘If you [deputy speaker] give someone half an hour on a point of order then none of the rules and regulations of the parliament are being followed,’ he said.
Later, the deputy speaker said that the chief whip was right.
