Rumeen Farhana proposes cancelling Bangladesh-US trade agreement

Brahmanbaria MP Rumeen Farhana has proposed bringing a motion in parliament to cancel the Bangladesh-US trade agreement.

Raising a point of order during the 24th day of the first session of the 13th National Parliament this morning (29 April), she made the proposal.

After the prime minister's question-and-answer session, Rumeen Farhana said, "A meeting was recently held between the US ambassador and the commerce minister, where several issues related to the trade agreement were discussed. The ambassador highlighted the trade imbalance between the two countries, Bangladesh's commitments regarding the import of agricultural and energy products, and the need for policy reforms to improve the business environment and attract investment."

She further said that the ambassador pointed out a significant trade deficit, noting that Bangladesh exports more to the United States than it imports, which the agreement seeks to address.

Rumeen added that the agreement was signed on 9 February, just three days before the national election on 12 February.

She said, "Civil society members and think tanks had previously argued that an unelected government should not sign such an agreement and that several clauses of the deal are against Bangladesh's national interest. They had also suggested that it should instead be signed after an elected government assumes office."

The speaker of the House responded that the matter did not qualify as a point of order, explaining that under Rule 301, discussions must relate to ongoing parliamentary business or the maintenance of order in the House.

Hafiz Uddin said that Rumeen Farhana had raised a new issue and advised her to submit a formal notice for consideration.

She then sought a minute, saying the government could cancel the agreement if it wished and that the matter should be brought before parliament for consideration.