UN slams Bangladeshi politicians

By Shahriar Karim
BBC correspondent in Dhaka

It has become 'traditional' for the opposition to boycott parliament, the UN says

A senior United Nations official in Bangladesh has launched an outspoken attack on Members of parliament.

The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) accused MPs of often "breaking the law without any adverse effect".

Jorgen Lissner told a workshop in Dhaka that many lawmakers do not pay telephone bills for years.

He said that many remained absent from parliament, yet still drew their salaries and enjoyed other benefits.

'Law breakers'

Mr Lissner said that it had become a tradition for the opposition to boycott parliament sessions, often missing 89 consecutive sittings.

He said they would make sure that they attended only one day of proceedings in the house to avoid being expelled under the terms of the constitution.

The UNDP's resident representative was speaking at a workshop on "Access to Justice" jointly organised with the Bangladesh Law Ministry.

"Many members of parliament who are supposed to be lawmakers in Bangladesh are actually the law breakers when it comes to paying telephone bills," he said.

"It is very embarrassing that the people who are elected to make the laws also seem to be able to break the law without any adverse effect."

We cannot continue to have a situation where home made bombs go off all the time and nobody gets arrested UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Jorgen Lissner

The Post and Telecommunications Minister, Aminul Haque, told parliament last month that a total of 771 lawmakers from the first to the eighth parliaments owed over $1.44m to the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board.

He said the bill defaulters include a former president and two former prime ministers, the incumbent deputy speaker and 18 ministers of the present government.

In addition he said a number of MPs from the opposition bench were guilty.

Mr Lissner also expressed concern over the failure of the authorities to arrest the perpetrators of numerous bomb explosions in recent years.

"We cannot continue to have a situation where home made bombs go off all the time and nobody gets arrested," he said.

"This is very serious and I am sure that the government would like to crack down on it but they seem unable to do so."