End politics of conflict: President

---

President Zillur Rahman Monday sought an end to "politics of conflict" as he made a clarion call from parliament urging the absentee opposition to play its due role in the process of national development and policymaking as well as achieving the 'Charter of Change', reports UNB.
In his maiden speech in the first session of the Jatiya Sangsad in the New Year 2010, the President expressed the hope that the opposition would contribute to "people's entrusted politics of discipline" by attending the sessions of the parliament.
The fourth session of the ninth parliament formally started in the New Year without the BNP-led main opposition in the House. This was the President's first address to the ninth parliament after getting elected to the presidency under the regime of the Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance government.
President Zillur, during his about 26-minute inaugural address, mainly delivered the highlights of his speech hoping that his entire 62-page speech would be endorsed by the parliament. And after the President's brief speech the House, presided over by Speaker Abdul Hamid, endorsed the speech.
"We have to come out of the practice of 'opposing for the sake of it'. Parliament is the vital centre for exercising democracy. For ensuring good governance the honourable Members of Parliament (MPs) have great responsibility of setting up a model of accountability of all the branches of government under state management," he said.
The President called upon all the MPs to stay above all kinds of malice and hatred, personal and parochial interests and participate in the House in a creative, effective and active way for establishing democracy.
He noted that as a result of the active role of the parliamentary committees there had been marked accountability in the function of the government.
"MPs of both ruling and opposition parties are responsible to the nation, so the expectation of the people is that all the parties will regularly attend the parliament to make it effective and meaningful," he said.
The President observed that the great challenge for the government now was to materialise the dream of the Charter of Change. "We have to meet this challenge with our united efforts."
He said the political practice should be changed first if the dream was to be realised.