Freedom of speech should not cross limits of civility: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday called upon all to unite against the culture of abusive language, stressing the need for responsible behaviour in public discourse.

He made the call while delivering his concluding speech at the third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad.

“The fascist regime had taken away all democratic rights of the people, including freedom of speech. At present, there is a democratic environment in the country and freedom of speech is unrestricted. But we must remember that freedom of speech should not cross the limits of civility,” Tarique Rahman said.

He said no one wants the people of the country to be subjected to a fascist, authoritarian regime again.

“Likewise, no conscious person or patriotic politician will want our political culture to turn into a culture of abusive language. That is why all of us, irrespective of party affiliation, must play a responsible role,” the Prime Minister said.

He questioned why words that people will not feel comfortable using in a family environment should be used in the public domain. “Why should we use such words in public life? Why cannot we refrain from using such words in the public sphere? Through you, Mr Speaker, I want to leave this question before all members of this House and all conscious citizens of the country,” he said.

“If we are genuinely united on this issue, let us all play a united role against the culture of abusive language,” Tarique Rahman said.

Members of Parliament repeatedly thumped their desks in support of the Prime Minister’s remarks.

Conflict, division may revive fascist forces

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also called for unity among democratic forces, warning that conflict and division could create a path for the ousted fascist forces to return.

He called on members of both the ruling and opposition benches to work together to build a welfare-oriented state.

“My appeal to the people and to the forces of democracy is this: let us not forget that divisions and conflicts among the pro-democracy forces may ultimately revive the ousted fascist evil forces and perhaps pave the way for them,” Tarique Rahman said.

He said everyone must continue working together to rebuild the state for the sake of future generations and as part of their duty to the martyrs.

The Prime Minister said differences of opinion and political competition are natural in a democratic system, as such differences exist around the world and political competition is also part of democratic practice.

“But we must remain vigilant so that differences of opinion do not turn into hostility,” he said.

Tarique Rahman said people sacrificed their lives at different times during the movements for protecting the country’s independence and sovereignty and restoring democracy.

He said people were also killed “like birds” during the anti-fascist mass uprising in 2024.

The Prime Minister said establishing justice and good governance is a sacred duty and a way of repaying the debt owed to the martyrs.

He said the people have entrusted one party with running the state and another with playing the role of the opposition, and urged both sides to work together to build a welfare-oriented state.

Tarique Rahman reiterated his message: “Bangladesh first, Bangladesh for all.”

He said people had repeatedly entrusted the BNP with running the state whenever they had the opportunity to cast their votes freely and fairly.

Referring to the 1991 election held after the anti-autocracy movement of 1990, the Prime Minister said the people had entrusted the BNP with running the country, while the party received support from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at the time.

He said the government led by then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had expanded education, brought about a revolution in female education and created greater opportunities for women to participate in the labour market alongside men.

Around 2 crore people were also able to come out of poverty during that period, Tarique Rahman said, attributing the achievement to the BNP government.

He said after the 2001 election, the BNP was again entrusted with running the country to bring the state back on the right track and establish good governance.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh had previously been placed at the top of global corruption rankings under the government that came to power in 2009, and that the BNP government subsequently worked to free the country from the stigma of corruption.

He said the country had later been burdened with huge loans due to mismanagement, corruption, looting and money laundering during the subsequent regime.

Tarique Rahman said the BNP government now has the responsibility of freeing Bangladesh from the burden of defaulted loans.

He said the actual volume of defaulted loans has been much higher than the figure shown during the previous regime.

The Prime Minister said the amount of defaulted loans, which had been shown at around 11 percent in 2024, was found to be 35.5 percent after a forensic audit conducted during the interim government in 2025.

He said the ratio has now declined to 32.6 percent following various measures taken by the BNP government, compared to 35.5 percent after the previous election, describing the decline as an indication that the situation has started to improve.

Tarique Rahman said the BNP government will work to free Bangladesh from the stigma of loan default that it inherited in 2026.

He said the government inherited a country heavily burdened with foreign debt, while many of those responsible for creating the debt burden left the country.

“Those who burdened Bangladesh with debt have fled the country, but Bangladesh still has to repay those loans,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the government has paid a record $2.0476 billion in principal and interest on foreign loans during the past five months.

Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh still has to bear a huge foreign debt burden due to the looting and money laundering committed under the previous regime.

He also agreed with the opposition leader that the country has inherited a fragile situation in various sectors, including education, health, banking, insurance, financial institutions, administration and law enforcement.

The Prime Minister said some of the problems still persist in specific areas and that the erosion of religious, social and family values in the state and society is also visible.

Parliament to be centre of all activities

Tarique Rahman said the government wants the current Parliament to become the centre of all activities, expressing confidence that both the ruling and opposition sides have demonstrated their commitment to working in the interests of the country and its people.

He said he has no doubt that both sides have discussed issues and tried to take effective initiatives in the national and public interest during the session.

The Prime Minister thanked all MPs present for keeping Parliament effective and vibrant.

He said people expect Parliament to discuss their problems and ease their sufferings to some extent, while bringing peace and prosperity to their lives.

The final sitting of the third session began at 3:00pm with Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal in the chair. After Maghrib prayers, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad read out the President’s order proroguing the session.

As per parliamentary tradition, Leader of the Opposition Shafiqul Rahman spoke first, followed by Leader of the House and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who began his speech at 7:44pm and concluded it at 8:17pm.

The third session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad began on August 27. -UNB