PM Hasina urges cabinet to work with honesty, sincerity

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed the new cabinet to work with honesty and sincerity to meet the expectations of the people.

The prime minister spoke to her cabinet colleagues on Monday, at their first meeting since the Awami League’s formation of the government for the third consecutive term.

The meeting started at 10:00 am at the prime minister's office with six points up for discussion.

Hasina was sworn in as the prime minister for her fourth time on Jan 7 after her party won by a landslide in the 11th national election. She formed a new cabinet of 24 ministers, 19 state ministers and three deputy ministers.

"Our main goal is to meet the expectations of the people," Hasina said at the start of the meeting.

"Our aspirations are the same as the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — to bring smiles to the faces of poor people. We'll fulfil that aspiration and create a Bangladesh free of hunger and poverty."

"I hope you must have read in the unfinished autobiography of Bangabandhu that my grandfather told him to do whatever he undertook with ‘sincerity and honesty of purpose’."

"I believe both of these are very important.  This cabinet should keep that in mind and work with honesty and sincerity. We should always remember to do everything sincerely. We are here to fulfil our duties to the people."

"We have been always successful in proving that honesty is the strongest power. We can propel our country towards the development we have begun to work towards," said Hasina.

The prime minister expressed her grief at the death of former general secretary of the Awami League Syed Ashraful Islam, before she began the meeting.

"This is very sad. I knew Ashraf since childhood. He was a close friend of Kamal [Bangabandhu's son Sheikh Kamal]. He was actively involved in the Chhatra League."

She recalled Syed Ashraf's contribution in coordinating the Awami League wing abroad after the assassination of Bangabanghu and his family in 1975 and also his active involvement in politics after returning home.