With surprise inclusions, Yunus shadow looms over new Bangladesh cabinet

New Delhi: In a surprise move, the newly elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tareq Rahman appointed a technocrat, Khalilur Rahman, as the country’s new Foreign Minister.Khalilur Rahman was National Security Advisor in the previous Interim Government led by Mohammad Yunus.

Another unexpected inductee is the controversial Nasimul Ghani, brought in as the Cabinet Secretary shortly before the swearing in ceremony. Ghani was Secretary of Home Affairs in the Yunus interim government. In Bangladesh, Ghani is widely regarded as an ideologue and founding member of the banned militant group Hizbut Tahir.

Contrary to popular expectations, Humayun Kabir, international affairs advisor and secretary of Tareq Rahman, was not appointed either as a cabinet or deputy
minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shama Obayed Islam has been given the minister of state portfolio in the foreign ministry.

These appointments clearly indicate that the shadow of Prof Yunus looms large over the formation of new cabinet, and leaders viewed as having close linkages
with the USA have been nominated carefully. A total of 56 members were sworn in as members of the Tareq Rahman ministerial council in the South Plaza of Parliament on February 17, a departure from theearlier tradition of swearing in the cabinet at Banga Bhavan, the Presidential residence.

The council of ministers includes a Hindu member, Nitai Ray Chowdhury, who has been given the cultural affairs portfolio. A senior leader of the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) widely viewed as the representative of the minority Hindu community, Gayeswar Ray, has not found a place in the new Tareq Rahman
cabinet.

Senior leader Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir will be the minister of an important department in Bangladesh – Local government, Rural development and
Cooperatives — while Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury will be the Finance minister. The Home or internal affairs portfolio has gone to another senior BNP
leader, Salauddin Ahmed, who spent 9 years in India during the tenure of ousted
Premier Sheikh Hasina.

The nature of the council of ministers was among the surprises which became apparent as the day of Tareq Rahman’s swearing in unfolded.

The morning indicated that severe fault lines exist in Bangladesh, which would likely bring political instability for the new government. This election was intended not only for people to vote for their preferred candidates from various political parties of their choice, but also as a referendum for sweeping changes in
the country’s Constitution based on values of the 1971 Liberation struggle. Surprisingly, victors from the BNP decided not to take their oath on the basis of
the referendum, but as Members of Parliament, while members of the Jamaat-e- Islami and the student party, National Citizens Party (NCP) took their oath both as members of parliament as well as members of the Constituent Assembly, to seek change in the country’s Constitution.

After the elected BNP members were sworn in as MPs, the NCP members, who were at the forefront of the July movement which removed Sheikh Hasina from
power, boycotted the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister Tareq Rahman, signaling that there would be greater instability in near future.

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