Cabinet may have several new faces

All eyes are now on Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina’s new cabinet to be formed on Monday. Political circles are abuzz with ‘who will get which ministry’. Sheikh Hasina, who led her party to power for the third consecutive time through a landslide victory in the December 30  general election, may cause a surprise by inducting several new faces in the cabinet, party insiders said. They said the new cabinet will be a combination of young and old faces who have ‘clean image’ in their political careers. Some members of the earlier cabinet might be excluded for their ‘poor performance’ during the last five years.

They also said some leaders who did not get party nomination for contesting the national polls may also find them inducted in the new cabinet. The cabinet is likely to have three to four technocrat ministers, sources said.

Talking to this correspondent, a central committee member of the AL, preferring anonymity, mentioned that Sheikh Hasina said during informal chat with party colleagues that some young members of parliament would be inducted into the cabinet this time.

But the party president did not formally discuss any names with them, he added.

AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said there might be a big surprise in the new cabinet.

However, sources said that AL's newly elected members of parliament and some party leaders are lobbying with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her close aides to find a berth in the new cabinet. Most of them are visiting Ganabhaban, the PM’s official residence, and exchanging greetings with her.

According to Awami League sources, AL Presidium Members Lt Col (Retd) Muhammad Faruq Khan and Dr Abdur Razzak, Joint Secretaries Dipu Moni and Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan Papon, AL Organising Secretary Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Law Affairs Secretary SM Rezaul Karim, Cultural Affairs Secretary Asim Kumar Ukil, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, former IGP Noor Mohammad and central committee member RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury— may get Hasina's nod as new faces in the cabinet.

Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who won from Narail-2, is likely to

made a state minister if he does not participate in the cricket World Cup starting in May, sources said, adding that if he plays in the tournament, he is likely to get the position after the World Cup.

Party sources said Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim, LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Road Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda, State Minister for Finance MA Mannan, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam, State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder, State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid and State Minister for Environment Abdullah Al Islam Jacob are most likely to retain their membership in the cabinet , but their portfolios might be changed.

Besides, MPs from the AL’s allies—Jatiya Party (Manju), Workers’ Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD)—might also be in the AL president’s new Cabinet.

Inclusion of MPs from Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad) in the new cabinet is still uncertain as the party may become the main opposition in parliament without any member in the cabinet, party chairman HM Ershad said in a statement yesterday.

President Abdul Hamid will appoint members of the new cabinet on the advice of the prime minister and administer their oath at Bangabhaban.

Sheikh Hasina now heads a 49-member cabinet comprising 30 ministers, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers. Four technocrat ministers resigned last month.

The AL sealed victory in the national polls for the third consecutive time, securing a two-thirds majority. Out of the 298 seats, the AL-led alliance won 288, with the ruling party alone getting 259 seats. On Thursday, 289 newly elected MPs were sworn in as lawmakers.