Dr M Jashim Ali Chowdhury

The oaths of the newly elected MPs have given rise to a constitutional conundrum. These oaths may be constitutional in both textual as well as literal senses. However, there are honest questions to be answered.

In a generic sense, all the posts, positions, and offices of the republic, including the presidency, are “offices of profit”.

How problematic the constituency activities of our MPs may appear, parliament members’ constituency work is considered necessary in all types of representative democracies. Professor Philip Norton of the UK House of Lords has outlined at least seven aspects of the MPs’ constituency work.

Parliament claims to be the most representative branch of a state and marks itself as a safety valve against democratic failure and authoritarian take over.

Parliament’s relation with the executive is a matter of continuous attention. It holds the executive accountable on behalf of the people.

Member of the Parliament from one of the women’s reserved seats, Ms Tamanna Nusrat’s loathsome forgery in public examination, her permanent expulsion from the Open University and a subsequent expulsion from the local unit of the ruling party have put the whole fabric of parliament’s institutional morale in question.

Rohingya refugees are hitting Bangladesh hard. International support for a strong measure against the recalcitrant Myanmar seems a far cry.

The recent Parliament Prorogation Case in the United Kingdom has generated a lot of curiosity across the globe.