ABSTRACT
The JS is generally considered as a ‘representative’ assembly. As public representatives, MPs have to keep in touch on a regular basis with those who elect them. They are expected to promote and safeguard the interests of their constituents. In fact, it is often argued that MPs legitimise their role more as constituency representatives than as lawmakers or critics of administration. As Laundy (1995b, p.42) argues, ‘The representative function is the primary raison d' etre of any popular assembly. It is the constant unbroken thread which traces the evolution of the parliamentary system from its origin to the present day’. This chapter explores the nature of constituency orientation of the MPs in Bangladesh. It specifically focuses on the types of constituency issues they raise in the House and seeks to identify the nature of government response to them. Attempts will be made to examine the methods that the MPs use to highlight the issues they consider important. The effectiveness of different methods and the differential performance of various parliamentary parties in this respect will also be examined in this chapter.
