Hamid ready for punishment if guilty..............

Speaker Abdul Hamid announced in parliament Wednesday he would accept any punishment if found guilty of wrongdoing doing in his short stint.

"In the seventh parliament I served as speaker for three months and 18 days. My activities will also be investigated," Hamid said after an unscheduled debate on the alleged corruption of his predecessor Jamiruddin Sircar.

He said he would form a parliamentary committee incorporating representatives from all political parties to probe the alleged corruption of Sircar.

But he did not make it clear whether financial spending during his tenure, from July 12, 2001 to Oct 28, 2001, would be investigated by the committee.

"If necessary, [Sircar] will be able to speak before the probe committee," said Hamid.

He said he had already talked to the comptroller and auditor general to audit the financial spending of all speakers since 1973.

The audit reports will be similar to the probe report, he said and added that parliament used to discuss corrupt practices in every sector.

"If we cannot make parliament transparent, people's aspiration for a corruption-free country will turn into a nightmare.

"Please, don't take it politically," he said.

Awami League MP Shajahan Khan first initiated the debate, which was participated by Suranjit SenGupta, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and chief whip of the opposition Zainul Abdin Farroque.

Allegations of corruption against the speaker are a slur on the whole parliament and the political system, Sengupta told the House.

"If [Sircar] thinks he is innocent, let him face the probe committee and prove his innocence," he said.

Farroque said the ruling party MPs started leveling allegations of corruption against Sircar as he got BNP nomination in the Bogra-6 constituency in upcoming by-polls.

He said the charges against the former speaker were "motivated".

Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir alleged that Sircar had done wrong things as speaker.

"It must be investigated under which law Sircar allowed establishment of a kangaroo court in the parliament secretariat."

Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury also supported Alamgir, saying the military court was established to undermine the political system of the country and people's democratic aspirations.