Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed on Sunday reminded members of parliament that delivering speeches reading directly from written scripts is not permitted in the House.

He urged MPs to develop the practice of speaking with only brief notes if necessary.

He made the remarks in parliament while addressing MPs Masood Sayeedi of Jamaat-e-Islami and Oli Ullah of Islami Andolan Bangladesh after they delivered their speeches reading from prepared texts during the discussion on the President’s address.

Addressing Masood Sayeedi, the speaker said, “With due respect, I would like to draw your attention that reading directly from a written text is not allowed in Parliament. You may keep notes, glance at them occasionally and then address the House. That is the parliamentary convention and what we expect from members.”

He made a similar remark to Oli Ullah noting that he had followed the same approach as the previous speaker.

“This is not allowed in Parliament. You should practise delivering speeches without reading from scripts. This is the established parliamentary practice and should be followed by all members,” he added.

According to the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, members must obtain prior permission from the speaker before reading out a written speech.

Masood Sayeedi, elected from the Pirojpur-1 constituency, pledged to work for the development of the constituency and uphold the ideals of his father, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi.

Masood Sayeedi also stressed the need to ensure the independence of the education and judiciary sectors and called for a “zero tolerance” policy against corruption.

Referring to a report by Transparency International Bangladesh, he claimed that around Tk 52,000 crore had been misappropriated in the Roads and Highways Department over the past 15 years.

He further called for institutionalising a culture where MPs refrain from accepting government privileges including duty-free vehicles.