49-member AL-led Cabinet takes charge

Sheikh Hasina has begun her second successive innings in power with a 49-member Cabinet around the size of her last one.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 Jan 2014, 10:09 AM
Updated : 12 Jan 2014, 05:17 PM

This is the third time she took over as Prime Minister in the two decades after Bangladesh returned to democracy from military rule.

Of the 49-member Cabinet, Hasina became Prime Minister, 29 full ministers, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers, a post Hasina had introduced in 1996 but had done away with 2008.

There are a few Cabinet members from Hussein Muhammad Ershad-led Jatiya Party, which plans to sit in the Opposition but also have a presence in the Cabinet.

The oath-taking ceremony began at 3:30pm on Sunday. As per rules, President Md Abdul Hamid swore in the Prime Minister and then the ministers, ministers of state, and deputy ministers.

JaSaD President Hasanul Haq Inu has retained his information ministry. He held the same portfolio of Hasina-led immediate past poll-time and parliamentary governments.

Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon has retained his post and telecommunications ministry of the poll-time government.

Anwar Hossain Manju has also been co-opted into Hasina’s Cabinet as forest and environment minister.

Manju, who leads a faction of Ershad’s Jatiya Party, was communications minister of the Awami League's 1996-2001 government.

Ershad’s Jatiya Party presidium member Anisul Islam Mahmud has been made water resources minister.

Two other presidium members of his party, Md Mujibul Haq (Chunnu) and Mashiur Rahman Ranga, have been made state ministers.

Chunnu has been made state minister for labour and employment, and Ranga state minister for rural development and cooperative division.

Among the ministers are Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury, Abdul Latif Siqqiqui. Mohammad Nasim, Syed Ashraful Islam, Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Principal Matiur Rahman, AKM Mozammel, Md Sayedul Haq, Emaj Uddin Pramanik, Obaidul Quader, Nurul Islam Nahid, Shajahan Khan, Anisul Haq, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Mazibul Haq, AHM Mostofa Kamal, Asaduzzaman Noor, Mostafizur Rahman Fizar, Syed Mohsin Ali, Shamsur Rahman Sharif Dilu and Md Kamrul Islam.

Among the state ministers are Yafes Osman, MA Mannan, Mirza Azam, Promod Mankin, Bir Bahadur, Narayan Chandra Chand, Biren Sikder, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Jabed, Ismat Ara Sadeq, Meher Afroz Chumki, Shahriar Alam, Jahid Malek Swapan, Nasrul Hamid Bipu and Junaid Ahmed Polok.

Two deputy ministers are Abdullah Al Islam Jacob and Arif Khan Joy.

Hasina had formed a 32-member Cabinet with 24 ministers and eight state ministers after a landslide victory in the ninth parliamentary polls in Dec 2008, ending the two-year rule of a military-backed caretaker government.

The Cabinet size was later enlarged to 50 through expansions.

Towards the end of her last term, Hasina formed 29-member poll-time, multiparty government to oversee the 10th parliamentary polls held on Jan 5.