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Speakers at a seminar said Tuesday the country is being run under a parliamentary autocracy in the name of democracy, report agencies.
Awami League presidium member Suranjit Sengupta MP said the Prime Minister, her cabinet and family members instead of the parliament have become the source of all power.
"The parliament is now being used as a place for admiring the government party leaders and making provocative statements against the opposition leaders. Without opposition the parliament has become a place of arrogant talkativeness and shameless flattery of the ministers and government party lawmakers," he said.
He was presenting the keynote paper on "Inactive Parliament: Jeopardised Democracy" at the seminar organised by the Awami League at the Jatiya Press Club.
Suranjit said the present government has pushed the country into the grip of corruption by ignoring the parliamentary standing committees on minor excuses.
He demanded dissolution of the 'inactive' parliament and taking steps to take new mandate under reformed election commission and caretaker government.
Suranjit Sengupta suggested making a provision in the rules of procedure of the parliament to select the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker from the treasury bench and the opposition in the parliament so that they can discharge their duties neutrally.
"All the constitutional institutions and post holders will have to be given powers of financing, office supports and promotion so that they can perform their duties independently and neutrally," he said.
Awami League presidium member Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury said we have got rid of the autocratic ruler, but not the autocratic rule.
He criticised the present Speaker of violating some rules and traditions of the parliament.
He suggested the party leaders and workers to go to the grassroots people to make them conscious about the spirit of the liberation war and their rights to establish democracy in the country.
Awami League advisory committee member SA Malek urged the people of the country to be united to face the 'existing' threat to democracy.
Presided over by Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Abdul Hamid MP, the seminar was addressed, among others, by Awami League presidium member Matia Chowdhury, its acting general secretary Obaidul Kader, opposition whip Abdus Shahid MP, BK Jahangir, editor of the daily Jugantor Abed Khan and Harun-ur Rashid.
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