Opposition lawmaker Saiful Alam Khan Milon on Monday raised concerns over the absence of ministers during the ongoing budget session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, prompting the speaker, Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, to express his desire to see greater ministerial attendance in the parliament.
Addressing the House, Saiful said he had observed that most ministers were absent for much of the budget session despite members from both the government and opposition benches participating in discussions after making extensive preparations.
‘Looking around the chamber, the seats allocated to ministers are largely empty. The health minister, the home minister, and many others are not present,’ he said.
In response, the speaker acknowledged the concern and stressed the importance of ministerial participation during the budget session.
‘I would like to see ministers attending the budget session more regularly. We should be grateful that at least the finance minister is present. However, other ministers should also be encouraged, on behalf of lawmakers, to attend. The budget session is an important one, and we would be obliged if they remained present,’ the speaker remarked.
The chief whip, Nurul Islam, later addressed the issue, saying that many ministers were often occupied with official state duties but agreed that their presence in the Jatiya Sangsad was desirable.
Nurul Islam said that the finance minister had consistently been present throughout the budget proceedings. He explained that, regardless of the sector under discussion, including health, power, law enforcement, and legal affairs, the finance minister would ultimately be responsible for providing the government's final response.
The chief whip also said that the local government minister regularly attended parliamentary sittings, while expressing hope that other ministers would participate more actively in future debates.
Responding to the opposition’s criticism, the state minister for fisheries, Sultan Salauddin Tuku, argued that attendance concerns should not be directed solely at ministers.
‘The opposition member said our ministers are absent, which may be true. However, before making such comments, they should also look at their own side. Neither the leader of the opposition nor the deputy leader of the opposition is present in the chamber,’ he said.
Following the state minister’s remarks, the speaker reiterated that ministerial attendance remained particularly important.
‘It is not a major problem if the leader of the opposition is absent, but ministers need to be present. Nevertheless, for the sake of preserving the dignity and decorum of parliament, it is desirable that everyone attends,’ the speaker said.
