Speaker urges MPs to strictly adhere to rules, time management

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikram has emphasized on following the rules of procedure and the constitution when speaking in the National Parliament. He said that the parliament is not a place to speak rashly, but to speak here, one must follow specific rules and time.

He said these things during the discussion on points of order in the eighth day of the budget session of the 13th National Parliament on Tuesday (June 16).

The Speaker made these remarks to the MPs after Rajshahi-1 MP Md. Mujibur Rahman and Rangpur-6 MP Md. Nurul Amin stood up and spoke on the point of order.

The Speaker said, 'Parliament runs on the basis of the rules of procedure and the constitution. All 350 members here have equal rights. However, the activities of the Parliament are conducted under specific laws, rules and regulations.'

Regarding the exact time to raise a point of order, he said that there is an opportunity to talk about this issue only after the question and answer period is over. During the budget session, points of order are usually taken less, because there are long discussions on important financial issues.

He also said, 'It is not in accordance with parliamentary practice to speak on a stand whenever you want. If you want to discuss any issue, you have to give notice as per the rules.'

In response to a point raised by MP Mujibur Rahman, the Speaker said, 'Mujibur Rahman saw that I bowed my head in respect, which he felt was against parliamentary practice. He raised a point of order on the issue.'

Regarding MP Md. Nurul Amin's point of order, the Speaker said, 'I appreciate your sentiment. You have spoken about the plight of teachers and unpaid municipal employees. But there is a specific time for everything. Parliament cannot be run face to face. If you want to discuss any issue, you have to give notice first. If you had given notice as per the rules, then perhaps we could have discussed the issue with the concerned minister as per the rules. Therefore, I humbly request you to follow the rules of procedure of the Parliament in future.'

The Speaker further reminded the members that points of order should be based only on the current business and it is everyone's responsibility to maintain parliamentary etiquette.