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Published : 23 Apr 2023, 07:38 PM
Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president, is preparing for a grand farewell for outgoing President Abdul Hamid to honour him for his service to the nation.
This is the first time a president will receive a formal farewell in the history of Bangladesh. The authorities have already made preparations for the event, said Press Secretary Joynal Abedin.
President-elect Mohammed Shahabuddin will take his oath at the Bangabhaban at 11 am on Monday. Hamid will move into his own residence at Nikunja after handing over his mantle to Shahabuddin.
A team from the President Guard Regiment will present a guard of honour to Hamid at the Bangabhaban at the time of his departure. He will be given the highest state honour and protocol as he moves to his new address.
Hamid is the only person in Bangladesh who has held the post of president for 10 years in two consecutive terms. "It’s a notable moment in the 52 years of Bangladesh's history. No such farewell was previously held at the Bangabhaban,” the press aide said.
Hamid, a veteran politician with a colourful career, was sworn in as the 20th president in April 2013. He took his oath for a second term on Apr 24, 2018.
Monday’s farewell programme will kick off at 12:30 pm after the new president, Shahabuddin, returns to his Gulshan residence following his oath, according to Press Secretary Joynal Abedin.
A formal army-style farewell will mark the last few moments before Hamid’s ceremonial departure from the presidential palace. He will be seen in an open jeep donned with flowers. The Bangabhaban officials, divided into two groups, will line up on either side of the vehicle.
Bangabhaban staff and officers and PGR members will shower the procession with flower petals. Bands from the Army, Navy, and Air Force and the Mounted Police will take part in Hamid’s farewell.
Then Hamid will be driven to his residence at Nikunja in a motorcade under the supervision of the Special Security Force.
WHY THE FAREWELL IS SPECIAL
The farewell to Hamid is special as no other president has received a formal send-off in the history of Bangladesh, said Press Secretary Joynal Abedin.
The Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh, was assassinated in 1975.
Military ruler Ziaur Rahman, who took over the presidency in 1977, was killed while in power in 1981.
A mass uprising forced HM Ershad, another military ruler, out of power in 1990 and Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed became the acting president. Later, Justice Shahabuddin returned to his previous position as the chief justice in 1991 following the general election.
Bangladesh went back to parliamentary democracy and Abdur Rahman Biswas was the president from 1991 to 1996.
The Awami League government brought Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed back to the presidency. He had already retired from the Supreme Court at that time. Shahabuddin left the office in 2001, after finishing his term.
During BNP’s rule, AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury became the president but he left the Bangabhaban in 2002, following a dispute with the government.
Jamiruddin Sircar took office as acting president after Badruddoza left. Then the BNP made Iajuddin Ahmed president. He completed his term and left in February 2009.
Abdur Rahman Biswas, Shahabuddin Ahmad, and Iajuddin Ahmed completed their terms but there was no formal farewell for them.
In February 2009, Zillur Rahman became the president and died of natural causes after four years in office.
Abdul Hamid was elected president after Zillur Rahman’s passing and remained in office for a record 10 years in two consecutive terms.
