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Meeting with President

11 July 2006, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By M M Haque On e-mail
11 July 2006, 18:00 PM
I find the issue of whether Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar was the acting president or the president because, as he said, "The president and in case of anybody who discharges duties to the post of the president will be provided with the protocol, flag and symbol" rather confusing. Does anyone think that if the Prime Minister was unavailable to perform her duties (or the prime minister before her), that someone else would be considered the prime minister, with all the protocol, flag and symbol? Of course not.

The speaker filled in for the president, acted in the place of the president, and performed the duties in the absence of the president.

Until such time as there was no president, ill or otherwise, and until the speaker was appointed, elected, or defined as president, he was not the president, he merely assumed the duties and responsibilities of the president. After all, while he was president (if we follow his logic), was someone else given the protocol, flag and symbol of being the speaker since the speaker wasn't available to perform his duties?

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But, all said, I find it an egregious breech of protocol for the leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and president of the Awami League, to request a meeting with the President, who recently returned to work after sickness, and then decide NOT to meet with the President because, in the words of the Awami League Joint Secretary, "Our party chief wanted to meet the president when he was sick. But as he is doing quite okay now, there is no need to meet him."

When he was sick, he would have every reason not to meet her or anyone else he desired not to meet at the time.