BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Tuesday that the term “honourable,” when used to refer to leaders like the prime minister or the speaker of parliament, reflects autocratic values rather than democratic ones.
“I think the very seed of autocracy is sown in this particular word,” he said, addressing the concluding session of a national debate competition at Bangla Academy in Dhaka.
His comments came after participants used the word “honourable” to introduce figures during a mock parliamentary debate. The event, titled Civil Discourse National: 2025, was jointly organized by Bangladesh Dialogue and the Dhaka College Debating Society.
“Can’t we omit the word ‘honourable’ mentioned to address the prime minister or the speaker?” he asked the audience, which included students, educators, and other speakers.
Fakhrul linked the practice to what he called the lingering political legacy of Pakistan, saying that Bangladesh had never fully experienced genuine democratic governance since its independence.
“There was a brief period where we had something close to real democracy, but then we moved away from that path,” he added.
The BNP leader emphasized that real democracy requires space for debate and disagreement. “I may not agree with someone, but I will give my life for his or her right to express their opinion,” he said. “This is what we believe in. We believe in liberal democracy.”
He also repeated this message later in the speech, stressing the importance of mutual freedom of expression. “I need the freedom to speak, and you deserve that same freedom too.”
Fakhrul sounded hopeful when speaking about the younger generation. He admitted that many feel discouraged about the country’s future—but said he’s not one of them.
“Our young people have now gone much ahead of us,” he said. “I have become very optimistic; many things will definitely happen. We will stand tall in Bangladesh.”
Other speakers at the event included BNP’s Foreign Affairs Committee member Israfil Khosru, Barrister Roshna Imam, and Dhaka College Principal Prof AKM Elias.
The program ended with applause, and perhaps a few raised eyebrows. Whether the debate around “honourable” leads to any change in official decorum is unclear. But for a few minutes, it wasn’t just a debate on stage — it became a challenge to Bangladesh’s political culture.
