President M Abdul Hamid on Friday called upon all to stand united against any evil force that threatens the country's hard-earned democracy as he addressed the "Special Jatiya Sangsad Session" marking the parliament's golden jubilee.
"All must stand united against any evil force that threatens democracy," the President told the House. It is presumed to be his last speech in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) as the President.
Abdul Hamid's second term as President is coming to an end on April 23. He has been the President for last 10 years in two consecutive terms. President-elect Md Sahabuddin is likely to take oath as the new President on April 24.
Urging the countrymen, irrespective of political affiliations, the Head of State said, "Let's join together to build a welfare-oriented state keeping the beloved motherland away from conflicts and any extremist and terror acts."
The Jatiya Sangsad is the 'heart of democratic practice', said the President and urged the parliamentarians of both the treasury and opposition benches to stay above all sorts of enmity, personal and party interests for constructive, effective and active participation to establish democracy.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was in the chair while Leader of the House and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Opposition Leader Rowshan Ershad were present at the special session. President-elect Md Sahabuddin and President Hamid's wife Rashida Khanam witnessed it.
In his 16-page written speech, the President said, "Our identity as a self-respecting, patriotic nation on the map of the world should be upheld with our integrity, honesty and hard work."
He said: "Our thoughts, work-plan and strategies for the development of the country may be different but there should be no violence, no conflict of interest and deep unity should be forged in the areas of national interest and patriotism."
Referring to the upcoming 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls, the President said, "Election is the only way to come to power or bring change."
Hamid said that the politics of terror and violence in the name of movement can never be beneficial for the country, society and economy; rather, it makes the political atmosphere chaotic.
President Hamid put emphasis on the importance of everyone's support to develop democracy by forgetting conflicts and reaching consensus in all aspects through dialogue.
He called upon all to contribute to establishing a tolerant democratic system by removing violence from politics.
The people of Bangladesh would exercise their right to vote impartially in line with the established democratic norms and the constitution, and will enrich and accelerate the history of country's democracy, the President hoped.
Referring to the long 50 years of parliamentary activities, he said, April 7 is a historic and unforgettable day in the history of Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad and the country's parliamentary democracy. The first session of the National Assembly was held on this day in 1973.
The President said this special session will play an important role in presenting the history of the parliament to the new and future generations.
The Members of Parliament (MP) will present the history of parliament as well as Bangabandhu's customs, tactics and the history of freedom struggle and Liberation War before the countrymen and the world in their speeches, the President hoped.
Referring to the current political context, President Hamid said political stability has been maintained in the country in the last 14 years under the strong and charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh has achieved all the qualifications to be graduated from a lest developed country (LDC) to a developing one.
He told the parliament that presently there is no opportunity for any other group or unconstitutional force to take over the state power except the representatives elected by the people.
Source: BSS