BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said the party aims to move away from what he described as the “negative culture” that has characterised the national parliament in the past.
Salahuddin Ahmed, also the home minister, made the remarks on Saturday while speaking to reporters during the final day of a training workshop for BNP lawmakers at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka.
He said that out of 296 gazetted members of the new parliament, 219 are first-time lawmakers. The workshop was organised to help the newly elected representatives better understand parliamentary practices and responsibilities.
“We discussed the Constitution, the Rules of Procedure, and the customs and conventions of the House with the MPs,” he said. “We also reviewed parliamentary practices followed in countries with strong democratic traditions.”
Expressing optimism about the upcoming parliamentary session, he said the nation would feel reassured after observing the conduct of the new parliament. “People will say that this is the kind of parliament they wanted to see. We want to remove the negative practices that emerged in the past,” he added.
Referring to the new lawmakers, Salahuddin said they are being encouraged to begin their parliamentary journey with positive values and good practices. “Just as a child learns fresh values after birth, we are trying to prepare the new MPs so they can adopt constructive parliamentary traditions,” he said.
The two-day workshop was arranged mainly for first-time BNP lawmakers ahead of the first session of the 13th National Parliament scheduled for 12 March. During the morning session on the final day, MPs from Dhaka district, Mymensingh, Dhaka division and Faridpur participated, while lawmakers from Sylhet, Cumilla and Chattogram regions were scheduled to attend the afternoon session.
According to BNP leaders, the workshop features experienced former bureaucrats, academics and former parliamentarians who are guiding MPs on parliamentary duties, legislative procedures and administrative practices to help them effectively carry out their responsibilities.
