The new BNP government has formed its cabinet, combining experienced and new members. Many ministers and state ministers have, for the first time, been entrusted with responsibility for several important ministries. And yet some senior leaders have been assigned comparatively less important ministries. In addition, multiple ministries have been placed under a single minister, with a state minister working alongside them. It is still unclear how coordination between them will be managed.
However, some individuals close to the government have said that the responsibilities of the state ministers may be divided.
Under the leadership of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, a 50-member cabinet (including the Prime Minister) took up office last Tuesday. Of them, 25 are full ministers and 24 are state ministers. And, 41 have become ministers or state ministers for the first time. The first cabinet meeting was held yesterday, Wednesday, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The ministers and state ministers have already assumed charge of their respective offices.
In recent years, several ministries, such as power and energy, roads and bridges, railways, education, and health, had become particularly important. This was because they received larger allocations in the annual budget, and there were numerous development projects under them. Each of these key ministries used to have a separate minister. In some cases, even if there was no minister, a state minister was given the responsibilities of a full minister.
This time, however, in some instances multiple ministries have been brought under a single minister. In other cases, a single minister has been assigned a large number of ministries. There are also examples of more than one state minister working under the same minister.
Starting with major responsibilities
Aminur Rashid has joined the cabinet for the first time under the technocrat quota. He has been given charge as a full minister of three ministries—agriculture, food, and fisheries and livestock. In the past, these ministries were handled by separate ministers or state ministers. Among them, the important Ministry of Agriculture had previously been overseen by senior leaders.
Sultan Salauddin (Tuku), who has been elected as a Member of Parliament for the first time, has been appointed as the state minister for these three ministries.
Sheikh Rabiul Alam, elected as a Member of Parliament for the first time from the Dhaka-10 constituency, has been appointed a full minister. He has been placed in charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the Ministry of Railways, and the Ministry of Shipping. In recent years, these three ministries have been among those receiving the highest allocations. Each of them previously had separate full ministers, typically senior and influential leaders. There are also numerous divisions and directorates under these three ministries.
There are also two state ministers for these three ministries in the new government. They are Habibur Rashid and Rajib Ahsan, both of whom have been elected as MPs for the first time. Having two state ministers under a single minister is a rare occurrence.
From the entire Sylhet Division, two full ministers have been appointed, both from Sylhet district. They are Khandaker Abdul Muktadir and Ariful Haque Chowdhury. Both have been elected as MPs for the first time. However, Ariful Haque Chowdhury had previously served two terms as the mayor of Sylhet City Corporation.
Abdul Muktadir has been given charge of the ministries of industries, commerce, and textiles and jute. In the recent past, these three ministries were managed by separate ministers. These ministries are responsible for overseeing the country’s trade and commerce, essential commodities, industrial expansion, and the textile sector. Shariful Alam of Kishoreganj has been appointed as the state minister for these three ministries. He, too, has been elected as an MP for the first time.
Ariful Haque Chowdhury has been given charge of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. For these two ministries, Nurul Haque has been appointed as a state minister. Nurul Haque, president of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, has been elected as a MP for the first time.
Senior leaders, single ministries
Among the BNP’s senior leaders, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, and Iqbal Hasan Mahmud have been assigned important ministries. They have all been elected as MPs multiple times in the past and have prior experience serving in the cabinet.
In the past, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives was invariably entrusted to the general secretary of the ruling party. This time too, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been given that responsibility.
Amir Khasru Mahmud has been placed in charge of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning. In the past, there have been instances where these two ministries were under a single minister. However, in recent years, there was usually a separate minister or state minister for planning. In the newly formed cabinet, Junaid Abdur Rahim Saki has been appointed as the state minister for these two ministries. Saki, a top leader of the Ganosamhati Andolon, has been elected as an MP for the first time.
Salahuddin Ahmed has been appointed as the Home Minister. This ministry is considered highly important, and political sources say that assigning such a senior leader to this role was expected.
Iqbal Hasan Mahmud served as the state minister for power and energy in the previous BNP government. This time, he has been appointed as a full minister. The state minister for this ministry, Anindya Islam, has been elected as a Member of Parliament for the first time.
Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has been given charge of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. During the BNP government from 2001 to 2006, he first served as minister for jute and later for water resources. Toward the end of that tenure, the Ministry of Commerce was also placed under his responsibility. Compared to that, he has been assigned a relatively smaller ministry this time. Ishraq Hossain, elected from Dhaka-7 for the first time, has been appointed as the state minister alongside him.
Many members of the current parliament are new, and the prime minister is also new. There is no inherent problem with being new, as in the past many experienced figures also failed to demonstrate the expected level of competence.Mohiuddin Ahmad, writer and political analyst
Business leader Abdul Awal Mintoo has been elected as a MP for the first time. This leader, who has led the country’s top business federations, has been made the minister for environment, forest and climate change. Sheikh Faridul Islam, also a first-time MP, has been appointed as the state minister for the same ministry. Typically, this ministry does not have a state minister alongside the full minister.
AZM Zahid Hossain, a member of the BNP’s standing committee, has been given charge of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Ministry of Social Welfare. Farzana Sharmin has been appointed as the state minister.
There had been a common expectation that physician-leader Zahid Hossain might receive the health ministry. However, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been assigned to Sardar Sakhawat Hossain (Bakul), who had been relatively less discussed.
Mizanur Rahman Minu served as the mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation for 17 years and has been elected as a MP multiple times. He has been appointed as the Minister of Land. Kaisar Kamal has been appointed as the state minister for land.
Technocrats in focus
According to the constitution, the prime minister can appoint individuals who are not Members of Parliament as members of the cabinet. However, the condition is that technocrat ministers cannot exceed one-tenth of the total number of cabinet members.
This time, in addition to Aminur Rashid, two more individuals have been included in the cabinet under the technocrat quota. Among them, Khalilur Rahman has been appointed as a full minister and Aminul Haque as a state minister. Khalilur Rahman has been given charge of the important Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He most recently served, at the beginning of the interim government, as the High Representative to the Chief Adviser on the Rohingya issue and priority matters. Later, he was appointed as National Security Adviser. He was known to be highly influential in the interim government. His appointment as a minister in the new government has generated considerable speculation.
Shama Obayed Islam has been appointed as the state minister for foreign affairs. Former footballer Aminul Haque has been made the state minister for the Ministry of Youth and Sports. However, no full minister has been appointed for this ministry, meaning Aminul will effectively carry out the responsibilities of a minister.
According to analysts, the new cabinet has taken on a different kind of challenge by entrusting major ministries to newcomers. Now, their success will depend on how effectively they can coordinate and implement their responsibilities.
Writer and political analyst Mohiuddin Ahmad told Prothom Alo that many members of the current parliament are new, and the prime minister is also new. There is no inherent problem with being new, he said, as in the past many experienced figures also failed to demonstrate the expected level of competence. Only time will tell how effectively those assigned to different ministries in the new government can perform their roles.