The New Nation - Internet Edition

Hasanuzzaman Khan

What are the ministerial materials one is required to have for being considered for appointment in the Cabinet. The 32-member council of ministers of the Awami League formed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina comprises mostly new faces if you don't call them novices.

Only 3 out of 31 ministers-Matia Chowdhury, Syed Ashraful and Syed Abul Hossain-had previous experience as they were members of the 1996 Cabinet of the Awami League Government. At that time Matia being a new-comer was attached with an astute bureaucrat Anisuzzaman to enrich her ministerial abilities. The performance of the agriculture ministry was reported to have been superb at that time.

The great surprises which were kept in store for the people by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was her selection of two women as foreign and home ministers of the country. They are Dr. Dipu Moni and Advocate Shahara Begum. It was acclaimed in some circle that the move was a well-thought-out one and it was in consonance with her policy to project Bangladesh as a peace-loving country.

It was a departure from a hawkish line of action and setting doves free beyond the horizon.

It was a message towards the disturbed people of the volatile sub-continent, western part (Indo-Pak) of it being already an un-declared war zone.

Dr. Dipu Moni has a unique experience of attending the Wilton Park Conference in England where a number of intellectual couples along with celebrities from home and abroad took part. The Wilton Park is a UK-based think tank since its inception during World War II.

Bangladesh has undemarcated maritime zone with Myanmar and India. Bangladesh had come to a war-like situation with Myanmar and India following the latters' bid for oil exploration in the Bay of Bengal.

Critics say, there are a number of seasoned diplomats in and outside the party to guide the foreign policy. There are some former ministers in the ruling alliance who held the foreign ministry earlier.

In the sub-continental context, the foreign minister's post is considered a prized one. The persons who held the positions in the sub-continent are extraordinary. Vajpayee, Krishna Menon, Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, Zafarullah Khan and Feroz Khan Noon and Dr. Kamal Hossain are the men who adorned the post.

Advocate Shahara Khatun who was a street agitator during the anti-autocracy movement in the '80s in the Ershad-era will see the situation from the other side. Shahara Khatun has been given the Home Ministry.

Shafique Ahmed has been given the charge of the Law Ministry. When some of the pro-AL lawyers refused to fight the corruption cases against Hasina, Shafique Ahmed was on her side. Moreover, they opted for working with the ACC and other Govt Agencies to join what they said crusade against corruption. Barrister Shafique Ahmed was obviously rewarded as he led the legal battle for the imprisoned AL leaders.

A.K. Khandokar and AMA Muhit who were inducted to the new Government of Hasina owe their experiences to Ershad as they were ministers of his regime in the 80s. Khandoker who led the Sector Commanders' Forum in the anti-Jamaat campaign in December 29 polls was the Deputy Chief of the Liberation Forces of Bangladesh securing the surrender of the Pakistan Army in the Ramna Race Course Maidan. But the valiant freedom fighter Kader Siddiky who was a companion of Khandoker in the Ramna surrender ceremony had his deposit forfeited from a Tangail constituency in the December 29 polls.

Muhit was given the finance ministry as he was the finance minister of Ershad in the '80s.

Abul Kalam Azad was made Information Minister as he was the Chairman of the JS Standing Committee on Information Ministry during the Awami League Government formed in 1996. He is a known figure in the journalist circle being a member of the National Press Club. The JS Standing Committee Chairman post was equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister.

The newly inducted ministers who are new and visibly not well equipped to cope with the new situation have to undergo rigorous orientation courses.

The advisers-H.T. Imam, Moshiur Rahman, Dr. Alauddin and Syed Modasser Ali, who were veterans in their fields, can help a lot in this respect.

Tofael-Razzak era over

Tofael Ahmed and Abdur Razzak who were earlier ministers in every Awami League Government since 1971 were dropped this time for their reported pro-reform role when Hasina was in jail.

Sajeda, Abdul Jalil, Party General Secretary and Joint-Secretary Obaidul Kader met the same fate as there were corruption cases against them.

Tofael and Razzak were excluded from the Cabinet as they were considered to be the protagonists of the confrontational politics. The Awami League wants to have a clean image having forward-looking outlook keeping at par with the 21st century.