Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has said that no state function is more important than a sitting of Parliament, stressing that parliamentary proceedings must take precedence over all other government business.
He made the remarks on Tuesday in response to concerns raised by Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman over the absence of ministers during discussions in the House.
“Nothing is more important than a parliamentary sitting among all state functions. Parliamentary proceedings receive the highest priority,” the Speaker said.
He noted that MPs regularly discuss the activities and performance of ministries during the budget session and said the ministers concerned should be present to hear those observations and take corrective action where necessary.
Addressing Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, he 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.”
Raising the matter under a point of order, Dr Shafiqur Rahman said efforts had been made since the start of the session to make Parliament more vibrant, but ministers and ministry representatives were often absent when issues related to their portfolios were being discussed.
“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.
The Speaker said the issue had also been discussed a day earlier, when the government chief whip pointed out that ministers were frequently occupied with official responsibilities. Nevertheless, he reiterated that parliamentary proceedings should remain a top priority.
The discussion took place as Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman was on an official visit to China. Before travelling to China, he visited Malaysia accompanied by Foreign Minister Dr 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 3pm on Tuesday but started a few minutes late. Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud was absent at the start of the sitting. By around 3:15pm, only six ruling party MPs, including the local government and social welfare ministers, were seated in the front row. Ministers responsible for law, liberation war affairs, water resources, agriculture and civil aviation were present, while the finance, home and education ministers had not joined the sitting by 3:30pm.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman also expressed concern about MPs holding informal discussions in groups while parliamentary business was underway. He said such behaviour was inconsistent with parliamentary discipline and decorum.
The Speaker agreed, saying he had also observed the practice. He urged members to avoid side discussions, remain in their seats and either participate in debates or listen attentively to proceedings.
Earlier, while delivering a ruling on a question of privilege, the Speaker said Parliament had received seven notices during the current session, six of which had already been disposed of.
The remaining notice was submitted by Rajshahi-1 MP Md Mujibur Rahman, who complained that a directory containing the contact details of MPs, ministers and officials of the National Parliament Secretariat had not yet been published. He argued that the directory was necessary for members to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
The Speaker said work on the “Telephone Directory-2026” was continuing, but several MPs had yet to submit their information. He added that parliamentary standing committees would be formed shortly and the directory would be published afterwards. As the issue did not involve parliamentary privilege, the notice was not accepted.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni later said MPs also required contact information for ministries and their subordinate offices, noting that members often struggled to reach relevant officials.
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.
Under another point of order, Patuakhali-2 MP Shafiqul Islam Masud sought an update on the health of senior BNP leader and MP Mirza Abbas. He also raised questions about two ruling party MPs facing loan default-related cases, the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi and 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.
On the other matters, he said issues that were before the courts, as well as 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 if any court delivered a final ruling affecting the membership status of any MP.
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