‘Disorder may threaten JS’s functioning’
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram has warned that continued shouting, discourteous behaviour and violations of parliamentary rules could seriously undermine the functioning of Parliament.
He made the remarks during the third session of the 13th National Parliament on Thursday following a commotion and exchange of words over statements made by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and the opposition leader.
“The Rules of Procedure must be strictly followed to keep the democracy achieved through many sacrifices functioning and to make this institution of the people effective,” the Speaker said.
He said the opposition has every right to point out the government’s shortcomings and lapses, but shouting collectively and preventing a minister from completing a statement could not be considered healthy parliamentary practice.
Recalling his nearly four decades of parliamentary experience, Hafiz Uddin referred to the bitter history of the past and urged lawmakers to learn from previous mistakes and work together to build a better Parliament.
Opposition leader questions Speaker’s impartiality The opposition leader later resumed the discussion, referring to past instances in which statements were removed from parliamentary proceedings or sent for review.
He claimed that the Home Minister’s remarks were clearly unparliamentary and alleged that similar incidents had occurred repeatedly.
He also questioned the Speaker’s impartiality and objected to his remark that the treasury bench had more members.
The opposition leader said he did not support dividing Parliament based on numbers or status. He said the opposition would support government initiatives that were beneficial to the country while opposing wrongdoing.
He expressed hope that the Speaker would conduct parliamentary proceedings impartially and ensure equal dignity for all lawmakers.
Lawmaker asks which word was unparliamentary
Lawmaker Md Manirul Haque Chowdhury raised a point of order after part of his budget speech was removed from the parliamentary proceedings for recounting a metaphorical story.
He asked the Speaker to identify which word in his statement had been considered unparliamentary.
Manirul also alleged that remarks concerning his beard and religious beliefs had undermined his personal dignity as well as the dignity of Parliament.
Seeking protection of his dignity, he asked the Speaker to formally respond to the notice and sought a resolution and ruling on the matter.
Speaker warns of consequences
Responding to the overall situation, Hafiz Uddin said he had not been present when the incident involving Manirul took place and would review the parliamentary proceedings.
He said necessary action would be taken if any unparliamentary remarks were found.
“It is extremely regrettable that members are being prevented from speaking in the way they are,” he said.
The Speaker warned that Parliament could not function effectively for long if lawmakers failed to follow his directions to maintain order and take their seats when asked.
Expressing disappointment over the disorder, he urged lawmakers from all sides to exercise patience and maintain parliamentary decorum.
