The New Nation - Internet Edition

Oath taking likely Monday: Who are becoming ministers?

Pulack Ghatack

Most of the old faces, along with a dozen of new, are crowding the preliminary list of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina's choice, as the would be Prime Minister is now busy in finalising the names for her ensuing cabinet.

The former Prime Minister and the also leader of the winning alliance yesterday consulted party leaders, exclusively with seasoned politician Zillur Rahman, over cabinet choices, sources inside the party said.

The Awami League chief has decided to elect Zillur as the next President of the country, taking herself oath to the office of the Prime Minister.

The cabinet is likely to be limited to moderate size of 45 members which is set to take oath before January 10, the Home Coming Day of Bangobandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after Liberation War.

Awami, though has an absolute majority in the ninth parliament, will share a few ministries with the leaders of its allies to honour its previous commitment.

However, former military dictator Hussain Muhammed Ershad will not be rewarded with Presidency, though he claimed time and again that the grand Alliance leader earlier had promised him to make President.

"Honesty and integrity will be the main consideration in choosing cabinet members, as Awami League has learned much," a party stalwart said who also helped licking some possible names of ministers including himself.

"The party chief this time is very choosy in deciding the fate of her colleagues. She is seeking people who will be able to stay above corruption and bribery," he said adding, "the party will share a few ministries for the leaders of its allies in the Mohajote."

Though some mid-level AL leaders said that Sheikh Hasina would likely avoid picking old faces for the cabinet and select some new and younger ministers to reflect her desire for change, the former ministers are still crowding the new list.

According to the source, some of the names in Sheikh Hasina's next cabinet are: Matiya Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofial Ahmed, Syeda Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Ashraful Islam, Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh, Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Asaduzzaman Noor, Sara Begum Kobori, Abul Maal Muhammed Muhit, Maj Gen Abdus Salam, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Syed Mudassir Ali, Anisul Islam Mahmud, Golam Mohammed Kader, Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Hoque Inu.

Suranjit Sen Gupta, who last time performed as parliament affairs adviser to the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is going to be deprived again to be a minister, it is learnt.

However, HT Imam is most likely to be administrative adviser to the new Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the newly elected MPs may be sworn in on Sunday if the parliament secretariat receives the gazette on official results of the ninth parliamentary polls on Friday.

The Election Commission yesterday published the gazette, some official told the New Nation over phone.

"If my office receives the gazette on Friday, I will administer the oath to the new lawmakers on Sunday," Speaker Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar told journalists.

The secretariat will remain open on Friday as part of preparation for the oath taking.

The Speaker said the AL wanted to take oath on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the parliament secretariat has already taken all necessary preparations for administering oaths to the newly elected MPs.

Different ministries and divisions, on the other hand, got busy refurbishing rooms for the ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers of the incoming government expected to be sworn in by Monday.

According to official sources, the Cabinet Division and the Ministry of Establishment were given instructions from the caretaker government's highest level to take necessary measures for accommodation of the would-be ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers as well as their private secretaries (PS), assistant private secretaries (APS), personnel officers and other personal staffs.

They have also been asked to arrange the housing and transport facilities for the new ministers and their staff members.

All should respect people’s verdict: CEC satisfied over successful polls

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda
addressing the post-poll press conference at the Election
Commission Secretariat in the city on Thursday.
FocusBangla

Staff Reporter

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday expressed his satisfaction over his success in organising the parliamentary election in a free, fair and acceptable manner ensuring enthusiastic participation of voters.

"The voters' turnout comes to 86.29 percent on average, which is highest-ever," Dr Huda at a press conference adding , "In many constituencies the voting rate was as high as over 90 percent." Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain and EC secretary M Humayun Kabir were present at the press conference held at the Election Commission Secretariat.

The CEC said of the total votes cast, Bangladesh Awami League obtained 48.06 percent, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) scored 32.45 percent, Jatiya party got 7.05 percent and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had 4.60 percent.

Of the rest, 2.95 percentages were bagged by independent candidates and Islami Shashantantra Andolan 1.05 percent while the other parties in the fray obtained less than one percent.

"There has been a great change occurred through this election," CEC Huda said defining the special features of the 9th parliamentary polls that took place after some unprecedented happenings in the country's political arena under state of emergency for last two years, including a clean-up drive.

"We're very satisfied…as we have presented a fair and acceptable election," he told the reporters at a post-election press briefing at the EC secretariat in the afternoon.

Asked how the EC looks at losing coalition chief and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's allegation about 'stage managed election', Dr Huda said such an allegation from such a senior political leader has been left to people's judgment.

"Nobody should ignore the people's verdict--everybody should pay respect to it," he said.

Dr Huda conveyed his special thanks to the citizens with political consciousness who paved the way for restoring democracy in the country through casting their valuable votes coming to the polling centers. He especially thanked the newly registered and woman voters for exercising their franchise.

"There are a total of 31 percent new generation and 51 percent women voters in the country," he said, adding that a record number of voters were found in the polling centers casting their votes this time.

About the 'No Vote' turnout he said a total of 382,437 votes were cast as no vote across the country, which comes to 0.55 percent of the total votes.

He said the commission would consider ensuring the votes for the officials and employees remain involved in the election duties in future. Some 98 percentage of the officials on duty across the country could not cast their votes this year, he added.

Replying to a question about the EC's campaign for competent candidates, the CEC said the voters and the political parties are to decide who would be competent. "We don't have right to say who will be competent, who are not. We can only disseminate the information about the candidates among the voters," he said.

About the upcoming Upazila elections, the EC boss said election to all upazilas would be held as per schedule on January 22.

Terming the new year 2009 as the year of elections, the CEC said the commission would remain busy holding elections for Dhaka City Corporation, Chittagong City Corporation, municipalities and union parishads throughout the year.

Over 90 percentage of vote was counted in 74 parliamentary seats, 85-90 percent in 122 seats, 80-85 percent in 69 seats, 75-80 percent in 29 seats and bellow 70 percent in 5 seats, the CEC told journalists.

On the poll scoreboard Rajshahi's constituency-5, comprising Durgapur and Puthia upazilas, made an all-time record with 94.89 percent of the voters voting."

Division-wise breakdown: 90.37 percent vote was cast in Khulna, 90.36 percent in Rajshahi, 84.81 percent in Sylhet, 84.44 in Dhaka, 84.17 in Barisal and 82.58 percent in Chittagong division.

The lowest turnout of voters was in Dhaka-11 with 72.48 percent voting.

Khaleda visits ailing MP-elect Hasina Ahmed

BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia visiting newly
elected MP from Cox's Bazar-1 constituency Hasina Ahmed, who
was injured in a road accident, at Square Hospital in the
city on Thursday. FocusBangla

Staff Reporter

BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday visited ailing MP elect Hasina Ahmed at Square Hospital in the city.

Hasina Ahmed, wife of former state minister of communications Salahuddin Ahmed, was elected parliamentary election form Cox's Bazar constituency. She was injured seriously in a road accident on her way to Dhaka from Cox's Bazar.

Begum Zia stayed some time beside the ailing MP elect and inquired about her health and on going treatment.

BNP vice-chairperson Begum Sarwari Rahman accompanied Begum Zia to the hospital.

UN fails to make progress on Gaza

BBC Online

The UN Security Council has discussed a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to halt the Israeli-Palestinian violence.

But the meeting failed to vote on the Libyan draft after ambassadors from the US and UK said it contained nothing about Palestinian attacks on Israel. The draft condemned Israel's military action and called on it to cease.

Earlier, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert rejected calls for a 48-hour truce to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

In New York, the Palestinian envoy to the UN, Rijad Mansour, demanded a binding resolution to secure an immediate truce.

But the Israeli ambassador, Gabriela Shalev, said her country would continue to do whatever necessary to protect itself against what she called terrorism.

The US ambassador at the UN - who as one of the permanent Security Council members can veto any resolution - said that he believed it was up to Israel and Hamas themselves to agree to a ceasefire, and that the UN should not impose one.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he would visit the region in a bid to end the crisis, which has seen five days of Israeli raids and Hamas rocket fire. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to pull out of peace talks.

He called the Israeli bombardment of Gaza "barbaric and criminal aggression" and said he "would not hesitate to stop" peace talks with the Israelis "if they go against our interests and offer a support to aggression".

After meeting his cabinet on Wednesday, Prime Minister Olmert said conditions were not right for a ceasefire, but he did not rule one out in the future.

"If conditions will ripen, and we think there can be a diplomatic solution that will ensure a better security reality in the south, we will consider it. But at the moment, it's not there," he was quoted by aides as telling the cabinet.

"We did not launch the Gaza operation only to end it with the same rocket firing that we had at its start," Mr Olmert said.

In the last five days, Israeli jets and attack helicopters have hit Hamas targets, including security compounds, government buildings, smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt and homes belonging to militant leaders.

Palestinian officials say 391 Palestinians have died in the Israeli air strikes; four Israelis have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza, which is under Hamas control.

The southern Israeli town of Beersheba was hit, the deepest penetration by rockets so far.

International calls have been mounting for both sides to call off the attacks as hospitals in Gaza struggle to cope with the scale of the casualties and supplies of food and fuel run low.

The UN Security Council meeting on the eve of the new year was convened at the request of the Arab League.

Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo want a binding UN resolution to ensure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a lifting of the Israeli blockade of the territory.

France's President Sarkozy said he would travel to the Middle East on Monday because "France's duty was to look everywhere for the roadmap towards peace".

He will first meet Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Paris yesterday.

Hamas conditions

Israel has massed forces along the boundary with Gaza and has declared the area around it a "closed military zone" leading to speculation a ground offensive into the tiny coastal strip could be imminent.

"Our people will defeat those tanks," said the Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, adding that Hamas would only discuss a ceasefire if Israel first stopped its bombing.

"If the aggression is halted unconditionally and the blockade is lifted and the [border] passages are opened, we then can discuss all issues in a positive manner," he said in a televised address.

US President George W Bush repeated his earlier statement that the onus was on Hamas to take the first step to ending hostilities by halting rocket fire into Israel.

Elected govt by rigging better than unelected one: Delwar

Staff Reporter

After embracing a huge defeat by its rivals in the just concluded parliamentary elections, BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain yesterday reiterated allegations of vote rigging.

He, however, said 'an elected government by rigging is better than a non-elected government.'

"There was massive rigging in the polls by casting fake votes in the polls," he told the journalists after offering his fateha at the mausoleum of Shahid President Ziaur Rahman on the occasion of 30 th founding anniversary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JSD), student wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

He termed the elections 'staged managed' and hinted that his party would not go for protest movement against its outcome right now.

Replying to a question on the manner of the polls he said " People's rights to vote has grossly been buried in the name of election which did not get acceptability to the people".

"As time passes by, it has gradually been unfolding that it was a blueprint election," he added and questioned whether the ballot boxes were 'pre-loaded' with ballots snatching away people's right to vote.

When asked on the next course of programme of the party Delwar said, "First of all we would examine the activities of the Awami League led grand alliance".

He said they would work to strengthen and bring discipline in the party in the meantime.

"BNP would remain with the people of the country," he mentioned.

100 BNP men injured in post-poll violence

Staff Reporter

At least 100 people, the activists and supporters of BNP, were injured in post-election violence in seven districts yesterday.

Reports from different districts said over 20 people were injured in Patuakhali while 10 in Khulna, 12 in Kishoreganj, 14 in Satkhira, 15 in Thakurgaon, 10 in Natore and one at Jagangirnagar University.

Meanwhile, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Kuliarchar Police Station in Kishoreganj has been suspended for his negligence of duty as well as for his failure to control the post-polls law and order situation.

High officals of the police told The New Nation that the OC did not take proper measures to prevent the attack by the criminals. "It's a message to all police officials so that they do not neglect their duties," he said.

The lone elected BNP lawmaker from Khulna-2, Nazrul Islam Manju, yesterday urged AL leaders to stop attack on the supporters of four-party alliance in his constituency.

Addressing a press conference, Manju alleged that at least 10 supporters of BNP and Jamaat were injured in separate attacks by AL activists in the city since the announcement of Monday's polls results.

At least 20 to 30 AL activists attacked the houses of local BNP men in Kuliarchar and Katiadi upazilas Tuesday midnight and yesterday morning, leaving 12 injured.

The AL activists, led by Abul Mansur Rubel who is the younger brother of Kuliarchar upazila unit AL president Abul Hossain Liton, attacked the house of Nityalal Das, BNP president of ward no-3, at Daspara under Kuliarchar pourasava at about 5am.

The attackers ransacked the house of Nityalal and hacked him, leaving him critically injured. The group also beat up his mother, sister and wife as they tried to save Nityalal. The BNP leader was first taken to Zahurul Islam Medical College Hospital from where he was shifted to Dhaka.

In another incident, six BNP men were injured by AL workers at Parbacharparatala village in Katiadi upazila Tuesday midnight.

Over 20 BNP activists were injured when AL activists attacked them in Mirzaganj and Galachipa upazilas in the district. The AL cadres also ransacked several business establishments in different areas.

Newly elected lawmaker from Patuakhali-1 Md Shahjahan Miah, however, assured that criminal activities will not be allowed and necessary action will be taken against the culprits.

In Galachipa, the injured BNP activists were Fayjullah, 35, Shahabuddin, 31, Mostafa, 33, Hashem, 30, Kashem, 32, and Feroza Begum, 32, of Ichhadee village and Nurul Huda, UP member of Chiknikandi Union Parishad.

Newly elected AL lawmaker from Patuakhali-3 Golam Mowla Roni also assured that proper actions would be taken against the attackers.

At least 15 people were injured in a post-election clash between AL and BNP supporters at Kalandiganj village in Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh district.

Tetulia police station OC Taherul Islam said they arrested eight persons in connection with the clash.

BNP cadres allegedly attacked and injured two supporters of Awami League at Chechri Rampur village in Sadar upazila in Jhalakati,

Local people said a group of BNP activists attacked AL polling agents Kabir and Monir Hossain and stabbed them indiscriminately at 9am. They were admitted to a local hospital.

Police could not arrest the attackers as they went into hiding soon after the incident. Monir's mother filed a case in this connection in Chuadanga, a UP chairman and Jubo Dal leader was assaulted allegedly by some Awami League supporters at upazila parishad compound in Damurhuda upazila Wednesday.

Abu Sayem Sohel, organising secretary of Shahid Salam Barkat Hall at the Jahangirnagar University, was beaten up mercilessly by BCL cadres inside the guestroom of the dormitory at yesterday noon.

He was first taken to a local hospital at Savar and then shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a critical condition.

At least 14 people were injured in two separate clashes between the activists of AL and BNP at Hijaldi and Sonabaria in Kalaroa upazila.

Another report said local Jamaat cadres, led by Waresh Ali, attacked the house of AL activist Ayub Ali at Indra village in Sadar upazila. A case was filed with Sadar police station.

In Natore, AL activists allegedly attacked the house of local BNP leader Mizan Master at Dahia village in Singra upazila yesterday evening, injuring at least 10 people.

On information, army and police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

UN help for trial of war criminals assured

Staff Reporter

Ian Martin, an special envoy of the United Nations' (UN) Secretary General, yesterday assured Awami League (AL) President and coming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for providing all possible support for bringing war criminals under trial.

Martin pledged this during a meeting with Sheikh Hasina at the Sudha Sadan residence at Dhanmondi.

Talking to reporters diplomat Mohammad Zamir, who was present in the meeting, said, "He gave the assurance as Sheikh Hasina seeks UN support to bring war criminals under trial."

Bringing the war criminals to justice is one of the main points of the AL manifesto announced before the parliamentary election in which helped the party to secure votes in most of the constituencies in the parliamentary elections.

Coming out from the meeting, Ian Martin told reporters that he came to congratulate Sheikh Hasina on her poll victory.

"It's my privilege to congratulate Sheikh Hasina and the people of Bangladesh on this democratic occasion," he said.

But he declined to respond to any question regarding the election and claim of BNP about the election result. "We have sent our separate team to observe the election," he said.

IGP asks police to act professionally

Staff Reporter

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Noor Mohammad yesterday directed the police to act professionally without considering the party affiliation of the wrong doers.

"We're firmly committed to performing our responsibility and we will have to work professionally," he told a press briefing at the Police Headquarters.

He hoped that the police personnel will be carrying out their duties in the same way as they have been doing for the last two years.

The police chief said he would try to inject more dynamism into police force and asked them to work professionally. Strict disciplinary action will be taken in case of any deviation, he cautioned.

Asked about the post-election violence, he said usually some incidents take place after elections.

But until now, I have not seen anything fearful,"he noted.

He told the briefing that about 13 incidents took place across the country in last three days and most of the incidents were given political colour. Advance preparations were taken to deal with post-election violence, he noted.

3 killed in city road accident

Staff Reporter

At least three people including a New Year reveller was killed when the reveller's car crashed two people and hit a roadside electric post in the city's Banani area yesterday. Several others also sustained injuries in the accident.

The accident occurred at about 12:30am when the reveller, carrying three to four people, in his car lost control over the steering after it crossed Mohakhali flyover and crashed two people under the wheel at Chairmanbari area of Banani, Gulshan police sub-inspector Taposh Kumar Barua told the New Nation.

Army to stay until Jan 5 to curb post-poll violence

Staff Reporter

The Caretaker Government, suggested by the Election Commission, has decided not to pull back the army to the barracks until January 5 in view of the spread of post-election violence. According to an earlier decision, the army was to go back to the barracks on December 31.

Election Commissioner M Shakhawat Hossain yesterday said that the Commission has decided to continue to use army as the striking force to curb post-poll violence.

"The military were still in the field as striking force and we have decided to extend their tenure of duty," he said adding, "The army is expected to be withdrawn completely by January 7."

Sources in Home Ministry also confirmed the EC's decision.

The military was deployed in the field from December 18 and had been acting as a striking force since December 20.