Rumeen Farhana proposes cancelling Bangladesh-US trade agreement
She also questioned the timing of the signing, pointing out that the deal was concluded just before the elections.
Brahmanbaria lawmaker Rumeen Farhana has proposed tabling a motion in parliament to cancel the Bangladesh-US trade agreement signed under the Prof Yunus-led interim government.
The independent lawmaker raised the issue on a point of order during the 24th day of the first session of the 13th National Parliament yesterday morning (29 April).
Speaking after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's question-and-answer session, Rumeen argued that the agreement contained provisions that go against Bangladesh's interests and noted that objections had been raised at the time it was being finalised.
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She also questioned the timing of the signing, pointing out that the deal was concluded just before the elections.
Quoting concerns raised earlier by civil society and policy groups, she added, "Civil society members and think tanks had previously argued that an unelected government should not sign such an agreement and that several clauses of the deal are against Bangladesh's national interest. They had also suggested that it should instead be signed after an elected government assumes office."
Rumeen also referred to a recent meeting between the US ambassador and the commerce minister, where the trade agreement was discussed.
"Yesterday, our commerce minister had a meeting with the US ambassador, and during the meeting, the ambassador spoke a lot about the trade agreement we have with America," she said. "The ambassador highlighted the trade imbalance between the two countries, Bangladesh's commitments regarding the import of agricultural and energy products, and the need for policy reforms to improve the business environment and attract investment."
She added that the envoy pointed to a significant trade gap, noting that Bangladesh exports more to the United States than it imports, which the agreement seeks to address.
The lawmaker stressed that the agreement should have been signed by an elected government after the elections.
"Unfortunately, the interim government did not listen and signed the agreement on 9 February, just three days before our national elections on 12 February," she added.
As she attempted to continue, the Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad intervened, saying the matter did not fall under a point of order. "If you read Rule 301, you will see that a point of order has to be on the ongoing business of the parliament or to maintain order in the work of the parliament. You have raised a new question. You have given notice; it will be considered," he said.
Rumeen requested an additional minute despite the ruling and reiterated her call, "If the government wants to cancel it within this 60 days, they can do so. Let the agreement be brought to parliament."
However, the speaker declined to accept the proposal as a point of order, saying, "I am sorry that I cannot accept it as a point of order."
