‘BNP training for MPs to restore trust in parliament’

Home Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday expressed confidence that the upcoming parliamentary sessions will help restore public trust in the country’s legislature, saying citizens “wanted to see such a parliament.”

Speaking to reporters on the concluding day of a two-day training workshop for newly elected lawmakers at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan, he said the government was committed to transforming the culture and functioning of parliament.

“We will remove from the minds of the people the negative impressions about the parliament that were created in the past,” Salahuddin said.

The workshop was organised primarily for first-time elected parliamentarians and ministers from the BNP ahead of the first sitting of the 13th National Parliament.

According to the home minister, the training sessions focused on parliamentary procedures, rules of practice, conflict-of-interest guidelines and democratic etiquette to help new lawmakers better understand their responsibilities.

“Here we talked about the rules of procedure, parliamentary practice and conflict of interest,” he said.
“We discussed ourselves so that we can learn about the customs, traditions and procedures of parliament—especially the constitution, rules of procedure and conventions of the House,” he added.

Salahuddin said the initiative aimed to prepare new lawmakers for their roles by ensuring they begin their parliamentary journey with a clear understanding of democratic norms and institutional responsibilities. “Those who are new parliamentarians will start their journey afresh and will learn to perform better. If they are free from bad practices, they will receive proper guidance,” he said.

He noted that the training programme was designed to equip representatives with the knowledge and ethical grounding needed to meet public expectations and serve effectively in parliament.

Party leaders said the workshop was strategically scheduled ahead of the first session of the new parliament, which is set to convene on Thursday.

According to BNP leaders, the programme was intended to help newly elected representatives navigate parliamentary responsibilities with professionalism and integrity while strengthening adherence to constitutional practices and democratic norms.

Relevant sources within the party said the upcoming parliamentary session is expected to signal a shift in legislative conduct and could help rebuild public confidence in parliamentary institutions.