Staff Reporter:

Independent lawmaker Rumeen Farhana on Tuesday thanked Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for not giving her a party nomination in the thirteenth parliamentary elections, saying the experience revealed the depth of public support she enjoyed from across the country.

“Because I was denied a nomination, I realized how many millions of people from Teknaf to Tetulia stood by me with their love, prayers, and support. Had I contested within the confines of a party, I would never have had the fortune of understanding this,” said the Brahmanbaria-2 MP while participating in the debate on the President’s address during the morning session presided over by Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed.

Rumeen Farhana, suspended from BNP and now serving as an independent, paid tribute to three-time former Prime Minister the late Khaleda Zia, saying the leader had brought her into politics with affection. “I believe her absence in this parliament will never be filled,” she said.

She also expressed gratitude to her supporters in the constituency, many of whom faced party expulsion and intimidation but refused to abandon her campaign.

The outspoken lawmaker questioned the independence of the President’s address, noting that despite repeated promises by all political forces to balance power between the President and the Prime Minister, the head of state was once again compelled to deliver a cabinet-approved speech.

“We could not even give the President this much freedom. Then what balance of power are we talking about?” she asked, referencing BNP’s own Vision 2030 and 31-point reform agenda.

Rumeen Farhana launched pointed criticism at the government for appointing party loyalists to key institutions. She noted that central banks across South Asia have appointed PhD holders from Princeton or California, while Bangladesh appointed a BNP election management committee member and sweater factory owner to lead Bangladesh Bank.

She said a similar pattern was visible in public university vice-chancellor appointments, calling it unfortunate that political affiliation had become a prerequisite for such positions.

Paying tribute to the sacrifices behind the July 2024 uprising, the lawmaker reminded the House that the movement was not merely about changing a government. “The people who sacrificed their lives were ordinary working-class citizens dreaming of a new Bangladesh, new politics, and freedom from years of severe discrimination. This parliament owes them a debt of gratitude,” she said.

In one of the most emotionally charged segments of her speech, Rumeen Farhana questioned the disappearance of women from public life less than a year after the uprising. “Women were needed at the front of processions. Women stood as shields against tear gas and batons. But once everything settled, women became objects of trolling. Their clothes, appearance, words, and even their smiles became fodder for ridicule,” she said, pointedly noting that the current parliament has only seven women members.

“If anyone thinks a new Bangladesh can be built by leaving behind 52 percent of its population, that will never be possible,” she declared.

On economic challenges, the former BNP leader warned that Bangladesh has already been placed on the World Bank’s risk red list due to high food inflation.

She said over-reliance on the garment industry as a single export sector has pushed foreign debt to 113.51 billion dollars, and called for export diversification, an investment-friendly environment, and sending skilled workers abroad as essential steps to reverse declining foreign investment.

She also highlighted that approximately 23,400 crore dollars had been siphoned out of the country over the past 15 years according to Bangladesh Bank estimates, while the banking sector carries six lakh crore taka in defaulted loans.

“No economic recovery plan will work unless this laundered money is recovered and defaulted loans are reduced. Money laundering will not stop unless false invoicing is stopped,” she cautioned.