Observers hope new faces in cabinet can prove themselves
Hasina is going to take oath with her new council of 47 ministers, including 27 first-timers, as the prime minister for the third consecutive term on Monday after the Awami League won the parliamentary elections by landslide.
“Excellent! The elders need to leave their places for the newcomers,” Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, a former deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank, told bdnews24.com.
Veterans like Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury, Mohammed Nasim, Nurul Islam Nahid and Mosharraf Hossain have been left out.
But, younger politicians like Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel, AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem and Zahid Ahsan Russel have been brought in.
“I think it will be a big challenge for the government to meet the people’s expectations after the landslide victory,” Ibrahim Khaled said.
But, he was quick to add, if Hasina strongly helmed the government, she could deal with the challenges with the newcomers.
He also said dropping the ministers, who had been criticised much, was a “good and strong” decision by Hasina.
Some ministers of the outgoing cabinet had faced criticism for different reasons. They include Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Food Minister Qamrul Islam, LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, and Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.
Rights activist Khushi Kabir considers the decision to drop “controversial ministers like Shajahan and Khandker Moshrraf” as ‘positive’. It would not be wise to bring them back to the cabinet, she says.
“(But) you can’t be sure whether they will find a place into the extended cabinet,” she said and added it would take two to three more months to evaluate performances of the new ministers.
“You also need to check why some ministers such as Dipu Moni and Hasan Mahmud have been brought back,” Kabir added.
FBCCI President Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin does not see the changes in the business-related ministries were influenced by the failure of the old ministers.
New ideas will bring dynamism to commerce and boost private sector growth, he said.
Transparency International, Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman believes the number of female members in the cabinet should be increased.
Besides Hasina, the new government has three female minsters. They are Education Minister Dipu Moni, State Minister for Labour and Employment Monnuzan Sufian, and Deputy Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Habibun Nahar.
Iftekharuzzaman also hoped the new ministers would work for the people’s welfare, not for their own interests.
“They will take oath to themselves that they will stay away from corruption. It’s a very important matter,” the chief of the anti-corruption group said.
He pointed out that the new government would not be held to account as much as it should due to the Awami League’s absolute majority in parliament.
