Leader of the Opposition and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Monday urged the government to recover an estimated Tk 28 trillion allegedly laundered out of the country over the past 17 and a half years, saying that repatriating even a fraction of the money would eliminate the country's budget deficit.
Taking part in the general discussion on the proposed national budget for fiscal year 2026-27 in the Jatiya Sangsad, Dr Rahman said the budget lacked a clear roadmap for recovering illicitly transferred assets.
"If we can recover even one-ninth of the money that has been siphoned abroad, there will be no budget deficit," he told the House during the session presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram.
Dr Rahman said recovering the money alone would not be enough, insisting that those responsible for the alleged financial crimes must also be brought back to Bangladesh and brought to justice.
"The budget contains no clear guidelines on the recovery of laundered assets. Not only the money, but also the culprits involved in this plunder must be brought back and prosecuted," he said.
He alleged that the country had been "looted by five to seven major robbers" over the past 15 years and warned that unless visible legal action was taken against them, even bigger offenders could emerge in the future.
He urged the government to sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the countries where the assets are believed to have been transferred to facilitate their recovery.
The opposition leader also proposed replacing Bangladesh's existing July-June fiscal year with a calendar-year budget cycle, arguing that the current system encourages rushed spending toward the end of the financial year.
He said government agencies often accelerate expenditure during May and June to utilise allocated funds before the fiscal year ends, although the period frequently coincides with floods and other natural disasters.
"As a result, only about 42 per cent of project implementation is completed during the first 10 months of the fiscal year, while the remaining work is hurriedly undertaken at the end, creating opportunities for waste, inefficiency and misappropriation of public funds," he said.
To strengthen transparency and accountability, Dr Rahman proposed that the government submit budget implementation reports to parliament every three or four months.
"This would ensure greater accountability and help make the best use of taxpayers' money," he added.
Highlighting the development needs of Bhola, the country's southernmost island district, Dr Rahman described improved transport connectivity as a fundamental right of its residents.
He said Bhola remains disconnected from the mainland despite possessing enormous natural resource potential.
Referring to the proposed bridge linking Bhola with the mainland, he said the project could transform not only the district but also the national economy.
"Bhola is a treasure trove of natural resources. It should no longer remain neglected. The bridge should be implemented without delay in the interest of the development of the southern region and the country's overall prosperity," he said.
He added that the district's recently discovered natural gas reserves further strengthened the case for major infrastructure investment.
Dr Rahman also called for an end to what he described as the "bad culture" of using parliament to flatter political leaders through songs, poems and excessive praise.
"Parliament is not a place for sycophancy. It is a place for carrying out our responsibilities," he said.
He urged the Speaker to ensure that parliament is never again used for character assassination or personal attacks at taxpayers' expense.
Reflecting on the role of parliament, the opposition leader compared the legislature to a vehicle running on two wheels—one representing the government and the other the opposition.
"If either wheel becomes dysfunctional, the entire vehicle comes to a halt," he said, urging both sides to abandon confrontational politics and work together in the national interest.
He said the opposition should not automatically reject every government proposal, nor should the government dismiss the opposition's role.
"If the government takes a good initiative, the opposition should not oppose it simply for the sake of opposition. Likewise, the government should respect the opposition and be prepared to accept constructive criticism," he said.
Although critical of several aspects of the proposed budget, Dr Rahman thanked the finance minister for preparing the 234-page budget within a short period after the formation of the new government.
Describing the budget as "a charter for a nation's survival and progress", he acknowledged the difficult economic circumstances inherited by the administration.
"No human effort is free from mistakes," he said, adding that it was natural for the budget to contain shortcomings.
He said the opposition's responsibility was to serve as a "watchdog", scrutinising whether public funds were being used in the national interest, whether citizens were being deprived of their legitimate rights, and whether waste or misuse of resources was taking place.
Dr Rahman noted that while some members of the treasury bench had welcomed the opposition's criticism, others had reacted negatively.
"That diversity of opinion is the beauty of parliament," he observed.
He also criticised the long-standing practice of routinely rejecting opposition cut motions on supplementary budgets and expressed hope that this year's reasonable proposals from both the treasury and opposition benches would be incorporated into the revised budget.
"People should feel that these parliamentary debates are meaningful and not merely an exercise in rhetoric," he said.
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