Speaker irked by absence of ministers in parliament to answer MPs' questions

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad today (23 June) said no state
business is more important than a sitting of parliament, stressing that
parliamentary proceedings take precedence over all other state activities.
The speaker made the remarks in
response to concerns raised by Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman under a point
of order regarding the absence of ministers during parliamentary discussions.
"Nothing is more important
than a parliamentary sitting among all state functions. Parliamentary
proceedings receive the highest priority," he said.
He noted that MPs discuss the activities of various ministries during the
budget session and said the relevant ministers should remain present to hear
those observations and, where possible, take remedial action.
Addressing the Chief Whip Nurul
Islam Moni, the speaker said: "Please ask the honourable ministers to
attend parliament on time. They should at least listen to the remarks made by
MPs concerning their ministries and, if possible, try to address the issues raised."
Opposition leader questions ministers' absence
Raising the issue, Shafiqur Rahman
said the speaker had repeatedly called for a vibrant parliament since the
beginning of the session. However, he noted that ministers or representatives
of the ministries under discussion were often absent from the chamber.
"The people who most need to
hear MPs' observations directly, particularly members of the Cabinet, are often
not present. On many occasions, when we discuss a ministry, no representative
of that ministry is in the chamber," he said, questioning whether such
absences were consistent with the dignity of parliament.
In response, the speaker said the
matter had also been discussed the previous day, when the government Chief Whip
noted that ministers were often occupied with other responsibilities.
Nevertheless, he reiterated the importance of parliamentary proceedings and
urged ministers to attend regularly.
It may be noted that Prime Minister
and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman is currently on a state visit to China.
Before that, he was in Malaysia,
accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates' Welfare
and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, Information and
Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan, State Minister for Civil Aviation and
Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat, and State Minister for Power, Energy and
Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit.
Parliament was scheduled to begin
at 3:00 pm today but started a few minutes late.
Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud
was not present at the beginning of the sitting. By around 3:15 pm, only six
ruling party MPs, including the Local Government Minister and the Social
Welfare Minister, were seated in the front row. Several ministers, including
those responsible for law, liberation war affairs, water resources, agriculture
and civil aviation, were present, while the Finance Minister, Home Minister and
Education Minister had not joined the sitting by 3:30 pm.
Concern over informal meetings inside the house
The Opposition Leader also
expressed concern over MPs holding discussions in small groups while
parliamentary business was underway.
He said that members were sometimes
seen holding separate discussions during important debates, which was not
conducive to parliamentary discipline or decorum.
The speaker agreed, saying he too
had observed such behaviour from time to time.
"Please avoid group
discussions inside the chamber. Remain in your seats and participate in
parliamentary proceedings, or at least try to listen attentively," he told
members, urging them to help maintain order in the House.
MPs' telephone directory yet to be published
Earlier, while delivering a ruling
on a question of privilege, the speaker said seven notices had been received
during the current session, six of which had already been disposed of.
The seventh notice was submitted by
Rajshahi-1 MP Md Mujibur Rahman, who complained that a directory containing the
contact information of MPs, ministers and officials of the National Parliament
Secretariat had yet to be published.
He argued that such a directory was
essential for MPs to perform their duties effectively.
In response, the speaker said work
was underway on publishing the "Telephone Directory-2026" of the
National Parliament Secretariat. However, several MPs had not yet submitted
their personal information.
He also said parliamentary standing
committees would be formed shortly and the directory would be published
thereafter. As the matter did not relate to parliamentary privilege, the notice
was not accepted.
The speaker urged members who had
not yet submitted their information to do so promptly so that the directory
could be published without further delay.
Chief whip seeks ministry directories
The government Chief Whip said MPs
required not only the parliamentary directory but also contact information for
various ministries and their subordinate offices.
He noted that MPs often faced
difficulties contacting relevant officials because such information was not
readily available.
Responding to the proposal, the
Public Administration Minister said steps would be taken to prepare a directory
of important telephone numbers for MPs and the Parliament Secretariat.
Query raised over Mirza Abbas's health
Under another point of order,
Patuakhali-2 MP Shafiqul Islam Masud sought an update on the health condition
of senior BNP leader and MP Mirza Abbas.
He also referred to the status of
two ruling party MPs facing loan default-related cases and raised issues
concerning the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, as well as recent rumours linked
to comments reportedly made by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee.
The speaker said Mirza Abbas had
informed parliament by letter that his condition was steadily improving and
that he would return to the House once fully recovered.
Regarding the other matters, the
speaker said issues under judicial consideration and rumours could not be
discussed in parliament.
"Rumours are never a matter
for consideration by the National Parliament," he said.
He added that parliament would be
informed in due course if any court delivered a final ruling affecting the
membership status of any MP.
















