Jamaat Forms Shadow Cabinet

Opposition Leader and Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said Jamaat has formed a shadow parliament. He said that although a shadow cabinet does not have constitutional status, it exists around the world. “We will unveil it at the appropriate time.”

He made the remarks on Wednesday while presenting his reaction to the budget at the LD Hall of the National Parliament House.

According to the Jamaat Ameer, “We want to see a responsible parliament, not a parliament of songs and entertainment. It must address people’s problems and their solutions. The country needs a stable parliament. We are fulfilling that responsibility.”

The government’s refusal to accept a referendum has created a crisis in national life. “We demanded a referendum, and BNP also demanded one. Following due procedure, we took the oath of the Reform Council. But BNP did not. BNP says it did not take the Reform Council oath because it is not mentioned in the Constitution. Yet the government of Dr. Yunus was not in the Constitution either. BNP is in power today through the election organized by that government,” said the opposition leader.

The Jamaat Ameer alleged that nearly 70 percent of the country’s people voted ‘yes’ in the referendum. He said BNP had ignored and insulted their votes. He further added, “However, the parliament has been structured in such a way that we were not given adequate time. The July mass uprising took place against discrimination. Yet the opposition is facing discrimination in parliament.”

Regarding the budget, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said, “We presented a shadow budget. The budget has turned out exactly as we anticipated. The ruling party accepted some objections raised by the opposition, including the cancellation of the provision allowing the whitening of black money. We proposed shifting the fiscal year from January to December. However, we have not received any solution on that issue.”

At the event, the Jamaat Ameer noted that Jamaat had assisted BNP in forming a government in 1991 in the national interest. He also said that he currently does not see any activity regarding the July Memorial Museum and the July Foundation.