Nurul Haque Nur, state minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment and president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, said lawmakers should receive a monthly salary of Tk5 lakh and ministers Tk10 lakh. He made the proposal on Friday at an event of the Bangladesh Government Officers and Employees Welfare Association at the National Press Club, arguing that higher pay could reduce corruption and strengthen representatives’ financial ability to perform their duties.

He said an MP’s basic salary is currently about Tk55,000, with total earnings of roughly Tk170,000, while a minister’s basic salary is about Tk105,000 and a state minister’s Tk92,000. According to Nur, representatives face requests in their constituencies for medical assistance, weddings and sports prizes that cannot be met from their current income.

Nur said representatives without substantial personal wealth may face temptation to collect money through undesirable means to meet social expectations. Citing Singapore and Malaysia, he called for respectable salaries and allowances for elected representatives. He also proposed that MPs use government vehicles during their terms and return them to the transport pool afterward, and stressed the need for effective implementation of labour law.