A comparative look at how British MPs and Bangladeshi MPs interact with constituents | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Sunday
July 20, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Get the Paper
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2025
A comparative look at how British MPs and Bangladeshi MPs interact with constituents

Thoughts

Dr. Mohammad Tarikul Islam
03 January, 2022, 10:45 am
Last modified: 03 January, 2022, 12:26 pm

Related News

  • Ex-MP Jafar Alam on police remand for 3 more days
  • Former MP Shamima, Hasina's ex-APS Bitu arrested in Dhaka's Jigatola
  • ACC sues ex-MP Enamul, wife over Tk25cr illegal assets, Tk2,240cr suspicious transactions
  • Ex-Cox’s Bazar-1 MP Jafar Alam arrested in Dhaka
  • Ex-MP of Dhaka-20 MA Malek arrested from Mirpur

A comparative look at how British MPs and Bangladeshi MPs interact with constituents

In Bangladesh, local governments remain largely ineffective as MPs overstep the boundaries of their advisory role and directly meddle in development planning

Dr. Mohammad Tarikul Islam
03 January, 2022, 10:45 am
Last modified: 03 January, 2022, 12:26 pm
Illustration: TBS
Illustration: TBS

My currently ongoing research project aims to explore the role of the members of parliament in the development of their constituencies. I have particularly been interested in the constitutionally mandated advisory role given to MPs in our country and the consequences of it. 

To obtain a unique perspective, I began to examine the role of British MPs in local development planning while I was in Cambridge. In the process, I also got to witness how members of the House of Commons interact with their constituents. 

Dr Mohammad Tarikul Islam. Illustration: TBS
Dr Mohammad Tarikul Islam. Illustration: TBS

I learned from the dedicated website of Cambridge MP Mr Daniel Zeichner that he holds regular sessions called "surgeries" where he meets with constituents to talk about issues of concern. 

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

As I was really intrigued,  I set up an interview to talk to him and he was kind enough to oblige. 

But let me talk briefly about the 'surgeries'. Most MPs in the United Kingdom hold regular meetings with their constituents. It is completely voluntary, so MPs get to decide how many surgeries to conduct. 

They are usually held on Fridays or over the weekend after the MPs have returned from Westminster. The best way to find out about local MP's surgery times is to look on their website or call the constituency office. Surgery details may also be published in the local newspaper or public library. 

But anyone can also call an MP's office and ask to make an appointment, irrespective of surgeries. 

Mr. Zeichner usually holds surgeries once a week and advertises them locally and online. It is now considered an integral part of being an MP as surgeries allow them to connect to their constituents and represent them at the parliament far more effectively. 

MPs in the UK have no formal role in the development planning. Constituents often write to MPs about different issues, but they should not have unrealistic expectations about what an MP can do. 

Those who make decisions - planning officers, councillors, planning inspectors and planning ministers - must follow strict procedural rules. These rules do not allow decisions to be influenced by informal, private discussions with anyone outside the formal procedure.

Sometimes MPs prefer to help their constituents express their concerns to local authorities. Similarly, he/she can also put forward his name to speak to the Planning Committee, on behalf of the constituency he/she represents. 

Mr. Zeichner believes that there is no scope for interference in the decision making process by the MPs. He has tried to get his name forward to talk to the planning committee based on the constituency's demands but that was about where his influence ends. This is the beauty of decentralised and empowered local government bodies in the UK. 

In Bangladesh, local governments remain largely ineffective as MPs overstep the boundaries of their advisory role and directly meddle in development planning. A member of parliament in our country has three primary duties: political representation, representation of social diversity and electoral representation. 

In fact, the MPs of Bangladesh are constitutionally limited to an advisory role in the conduct of local government. However, this has not prevented central leaders and politicians from getting involved in local development projects or using them for their own benefits.

According to the Upazila Parishad Act 2009, the role of an MP as an advisor to a local government body should not be controversial. The reality, however, is that the "advice" of the MPs often turns into "executive orders", ignoring and controlling the development plans and actions of elected representatives in the Upazila Parishad. 

Besides decentralisation as a crucial step for ensuring pro-people development planning in rural Bangladesh, the relationship between the MPs, field administrators and locally elected representatives should be made more transparent. 

MPs must remember that they are elected by the people of their constituencies to look after their common interests and represent them at the national level. They are not elected to govern the people, it is not a part of their job.

As advisors to the Upazila Parishad, MPs should monitor various activities of local government bodies from a distance to ensure that they are following the policies adopted by the Parliament. But their meddling in local governance can result in control of public resources, biased distribution, increased likelihood of misconduct, nepotism and conflicts of interest. 

Last but not least, best practices are important for the democratic processes to work properly. And MPs should be pioneers of ensuring procedural correctness as they are the torchbearers of our country's democratic values. 


Dr Mohammad Tarikul Islam is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge, UK and an Associate Professor at Department of Government and Politics in Jahangirnagar University. Email: mti21@cam.ac.uk 


Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.

Top News

MP / British MPs / Bangladeshi MP

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Tarique Rahman. Sketch: TBS
    Tarique urges all to stay alert against election sabotage plot
  • Tottho Apas have been protesting in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka for months, with no headway in sight. Photo: Mehedi Hasan
    From empowerment to exclusion: The crisis facing Bangladesh’s Tottho Apas
  • Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman spoke at the party's first national rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital today (19 July). Photo: Rajib Dhar
    No extortion or corruption if Jamaat voted to power: Shafiqur at Suhrawardy rally

MOST VIEWED

  • Representational Photo: Collected
    Railway allocates special trains for Jamaat's national rally in Dhaka
  • Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and SpaceX Vice President Lauren Dreyer after a meeting at state guest house Jamuna on 18 July 2025. Photo: Focus Bangla
    SpaceX VP Lauren Dreyer praises Bangladesh's efficiency in facilitating Starlink launch
  • Dollar rate falling fast – what it means for the economy
    Dollar rate falling fast – what it means for the economy
  • Governments often rely on foreign loans. Russia’s loans covered 90% of the Rooppur Nuclear Power plant project's cost. Photo: Collected
    Loan tenure for Rooppur plant extended 
  • Representational image. Photo: Unsplash
    Mobile operators give 1GB free data to users observing 'Free Internet Day' today
  • Smuggled goods seized at Sylhet border on 18 July 2025. Photo: TBS
    BGB seizes smuggled Indian goods worth Tk6cr from Sylhet border areas

Related News

  • Ex-MP Jafar Alam on police remand for 3 more days
  • Former MP Shamima, Hasina's ex-APS Bitu arrested in Dhaka's Jigatola
  • ACC sues ex-MP Enamul, wife over Tk25cr illegal assets, Tk2,240cr suspicious transactions
  • Ex-Cox’s Bazar-1 MP Jafar Alam arrested in Dhaka
  • Ex-MP of Dhaka-20 MA Malek arrested from Mirpur

Features

Tottho Apas have been protesting in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka for months, with no headway in sight. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

From empowerment to exclusion: The crisis facing Bangladesh’s Tottho Apas

20m | Panorama
Jatrabari in the capital looks like a warzone as police, alongside Chhatra League men, swoop on quota reform protesters. Photo: Mehedi Hasan

19 July 2024: At least 148 killed as government attempts to quash protests violently

23h | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

Curfews, block raids, and internet blackouts: Hasina’s last ditch efforts to cling to power

1d | Panorama
The Mymensingh district administration confirmed that Zamindar Shashikant Acharya Chowdhury built the house near Shashi Lodge for his staff. Photo: Collected

The Mymensingh house might not belong to Satyajit Ray's family, but there’s little to celebrate

1d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

After Gopalganj, the reason why NCP is facing obstacles in Cox's Bazar?

After Gopalganj, the reason why NCP is facing obstacles in Cox's Bazar?

1h | TBS Today
What does Jamaat Nayeb Ameer Abdullah Taher say about reforms?

What does Jamaat Nayeb Ameer Abdullah Taher say about reforms?

2h | TBS Today
The tendency of central banks to buy gold is increasing worldwide.

The tendency of central banks to buy gold is increasing worldwide.

2h | Others
Sarjisra’s Message at Jamaat’s Suhrawardy Udyan’s assembly

Sarjisra’s Message at Jamaat’s Suhrawardy Udyan’s assembly

3h | TBS Today
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net