Published : 15 Mar 2026, 08:11 PM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:28 PM
Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shahjahan Chowdhury has accused those behind the procurement of parliament’s new sound system and headphones of “looting”, saying the equipment is unnecessary and has wasted public money.
He made the remarks on Sunday while taking part in an unscheduled discussion in the House.
Holding up one of the headphones during the sitting chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, the Chattogram-14 MP said the device was too bulky and uncomfortable for lawmakers.
“It seems a budget was made, and from there looters put together a bill so they could make money through this arrangement,” he said.
Shahjahan said earlier parliaments had functioned without such heavy headphones.
“We have been to parliament before, and so have you,” he said, addressing the speaker. “But sitting for one or two hours with such a burden on the head is painful for everyone.”
The Jamaat lawmaker, who was elected to parliament in 1991 and 2001 as well, said the House had operated in those periods, including during the four-party coalition government, without this type of system.
“There is no need for such a big burden. A simple headphone would be enough for us to hear. Better still, the parliament sound system could be modernised so that we would not need headphones at all,” he said.
Complaints over the sound system had also surfaced on the opening day of the first session of the 13th parliament on Thursday.
After a break in proceedings, microphones in the chamber developed faults when the House resumed under Speaker Hafiz.
The speaker then briefly used a handheld microphone before adjourning the sitting for about 20 minutes.
Even after the House resumed, several MPs drew the speaker’s attention to the fact that not all microphones had returned to normal.
In response, the speaker said the matter would be looked into.
Jamaat MP Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem had also raised objections earlier.
After the first day’s sitting, he wrote on Facebook that the headphones were so poor in quality that using them caused pain “from ear to head”, and said the older devices in parliament had delivered clearer sound.
