Microphone malfunction forces 20-minute suspension of parliamentary session, Speaker terms ‘disgraceful’
This was not the first occurrence of its kind; a similar microphone disruption had been recorded on 12 March, causing a suspension of nearly 40 minutes.
The Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) was forced to suspend its session for 20 minutes today, Sunday, due to yet another microphone malfunction.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad Bir Bikrom described the recurring technical failures as “disgraceful” for the nation.
The disruption occurred during Chief Whip Nurul Islam’s speech, prior to the Maghrib prayer.
Earlier in the day, the parliament had successfully passed four bills. Chief Whip Nurul Islam began addressing the House regarding the approval of the ordinance by the interim government to raise the age limit for government job applicants to 32 years. He criticised the opposition for abstaining from voting ‘yes’, expressing surprise at their lack of support for the age increment bill.
Government members voiced their backing for the Chief Whip, while the opposition protested, resulting in an environment where Nurul Islam’s speech could not be heard.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad noted that the installation had been carried out negligently. The parliamentary authorities contacted the company that carried out the task but they are not interested in repairing this.
The Speaker intervened, urging the members to be seated as the speech was inaudible. Members responded in unison that they could not hear the Speaker either.
Consequently, Hafiz Uddin Ahmad announced the suspension of the session for 40 minutes, 20 minutes due to the microphone malfunction and 20 minutes for the Maghrib prayer. Parliamentary proceedings resumed approximately one hour and 18 minutes later.
This was not the first occurrence of its kind; a similar microphone disruption had been recorded on 12 March, causing a suspension of nearly 40 minutes.
After the Maghrib break, the Speaker addressed the House regarding the cause of the malfunction, citing two primary factors. Firstly, during the July 2024 public uprising, enraged crowds had damaged parliamentary furniture. Secondly, there appeared to be no valid warranty or adequate documentation for the installation of the current microphone system.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad noted that the installation had been carried out negligently. The parliamentary authorities contacted the company that carried out the task but they are not interested in repairing this.
He added that the local company involved has been frequently evading responsibility, displaying a lack of accountability.
The Speaker confirmed that he had instructed the parliamentary secretary to establish an investigative committee to ascertain the facts. He emphasised that “for the nation and the state, repeated technical failures in the highest House of the country are utterly disgraceful.”
On the day of the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, on 5 August 2024, student-public protesters had entered the Parliament, damaging furniture and the sound system.
Although repairs were subsequently undertaken, the microphone system continued to malfunction intermittently. Several Members of Parliament had also lodged complaints regarding the volume and functionality of the headsets.
Hafiz Uddin Ahmad further warned that, should such electrical or technical interruptions recur, loose connections would be rectified within 15–20 minutes to resume proceedings.
Nonetheless, he acknowledged that the Parliament is currently conducting its business under “extremely unsatisfactory circumstances.”