Parliament Bills, MP Attendance and Voting Records to Go Online Under E-Parliament

Through the e-Parliament, every session of the National Parliament, the passing of bills or laws, members' attendance and voting records, along with other parliamentary activities, will be directly linked online, said A.B.M. Ashraf Uddin (Nizan), a member of the 'E-Bangladesh Parliament' project implementation committee and a whip.

He said that once the e-Parliament is launched, ordinary citizens will easily be able to know what role their elected representative is playing in parliament and how they are voting on each issue.

Whip Nizan said an online portal or app will be launched to ensure citizens' participation. Through it, citizens will be able to give their opinions and suggestions before a draft law is passed. There will also be a facility to file e-petitions and to send any complaint directly to a parliamentary committee while sitting in a village.

Nizan also said parliament must be made paperless. Parliament's daily activities use several tons of paper every day, which has an adverse effect on the environment.

He made the remarks at a briefing in the tunnel of the National Parliament Bhaban on Tuesday, after the first meeting of the 'E-Bangladesh Parliament' project implementation committee.

The committee's president and Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, chaired the meeting. Committee members Whip A.B.M. Ashraf Uddin (Nizan), and members of parliament Nayab Yusuf Ahmed, Saeed Al Noman, Humam Quader Chowdhury, Mohammad Najibur Rahman, Akhtar Hossain, Lutfullahel Majed and Anna Minj took part.

Ashraf Uddin (Nizan) said making this parliament up-to-date and an e-Parliament had long been their aspiration, so that the citizens of Bangladesh can communicate with them directly.

Considering acceptance and recognition in the international arena, it was decided to change the project's name from 'E-Parliament' to 'E-Bangladesh Parliament'.

In addition, a three-member sub-committee was formed to examine, among the project's activities including the sound system, that there is no repetition or duplication of work, and to submit a report. The sub-committee consists of Saeed Al Noman, Lutfullahel Majed and Anna Minj.

Officials of the Bangladesh National Parliament Secretariat and representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were present at the meeting.