Staff Reporter :
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina has chosen only her party colleagues in the new cabinet breaking the tradition of forming government with likeminded political parties.
Following a landslide victory in the National Election held last Sunday, the AL is going to form the government for the third consecutive terms with Sheikh Hasina assuming the office for the fourth term, a record in the country’s history.
In her new Cabinet, Hasina has not picked any lawmaker from the 14-party grand alliance.
The Awami League formed the government for the first time under Hasina’s leadership in 1996. In that Cabinet, Jatiya Party leader Anwar Hossain Manju and JSD leader ASM Abdur Rob were made ministers.
In 2008, when the AL secured absolute majority, the Jatiya Party leaders including GM Quader were given place in the Cabinet in addition with Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua. In the end of the ninth parliament, JSD Chief Hasanul Haq Inu was also included in the Cabinet.
In 2014, Sheikh Hasina formed the government for the second consecutive term and she made Workers’ Party President Rashed Khan Menon minister along with Inu. Apart from this, 14-party grand alliance partner Jatiya Party leaders were also made ministers and state ministers in the 10th parliament.
However, this is for the first time ever when Sheikh Hasina is going to form the government with her party colleagues only.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam announced the names of the lawmakers to be inducted in the new cabinet. The new cabinet will have 24 ministers, 19 state ministers and 3 deputy ministers.There have been changes in 18 ministries out of 25.
The 47-member Cabinet will see the 27 new faces and four others, who did not hold office in the immediate past Cabinet, but were ministers in previous AL-led government.
The nine who are going to be ministers for the first time are Md Tajul Islam (LGRD), AK Abdul Momen (Foreign), Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun (Industries), Golam Dastagir Gazi (Textiles and Jute), Sadhan Chandra Majumdar (Food), Tipu Munshi (Commerce), SM Rezaul Karim (Housing), Md Nurul Islam Sujan (Railways) and Md Shahab Uddin (Environment).
