MPs directed to pay respect to speaker’s chair according to 'own religious rites'

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad has ruled that members of the National Parliament will now show respect for the Speaker's chair or the President during the session of the Parliament according to their own religious customs.

In this ruling given at the beginning of the Parliament session, the Speaker said that Rule 267(1) of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament states that respect should be shown to the President when entering, leaving, taking or leaving the Parliament Chamber on Thursday. However, earlier the rule contained the word 'bowing', which was removed through the 2006 amendment. He explained that due to that change, no specific physical posture is now mandatory.

He also said that since the previous specific word has been removed, members of the Parliament will now show respect for the Speaker's chair or the President according to their own religious customs.

The issue had been under discussion and criticism in the Parliament for the past few days. In particular, questions were raised about the practice of many members bowing their heads to show respect when entering or leaving the parliament chamber.

The issue was first raised as a point of order by Jamaat-e-Islami MP Mujibur Rahman. He said in the parliament that there is an objection to bowing their heads to show respect from an Islamic perspective.

At the same time, he mentioned that although the word 'bowing' was present in the previous rules of procedure, it was later dropped, so the issue needs to be clarified.

Then further discussion took place in the parliament. BNP MP Joynal Abdin Faruk said that there is confusion among the members of parliament on this issue and due to the lack of a clear guideline, different types of behavior are seen. He requested the Speaker to reconsider the issue and give specific instructions.

The Speaker said in his ruling that the rules of procedure of the parliament have changed over time and a specific physical posture is no longer mandatory as before. Therefore, members have the opportunity to show respect according to their religious and personal beliefs.

He said that the parliament is a democratic institution, there are members of different religions and views. Therefore, this explanation has been given taking into account the fact that everyone can participate in parliamentary proceedings with comfort and dignity.