President Iajuddin Ahmed has invited Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina to take oath as the Prime Minister today at the Bangabhaban. The mega alliance (Mohajote) led by her earlier won overwhelming majority in the parliamentary polls held on December 29. Her party Awami League other than the alliance partners singularly emerged as the biggest political party in the House.
Hasina who met Zillur Rahman at the Ivy Concord in the city on Sunday announced the latter as the future President of the country. Ershad was also an aspirant for the post.
Ershad was tipped as the deputy leader of the ruling coalition in the new dispensation. If it is so Ershad will have a direct role in the administration But Zillur will remain the deputy leader of the House until he is elevated to the Presidency.
But the names of the future ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers remain a guarded secret in the laptop of the future Prime Minister. Everybody is trying to figure out who are in the laptop. But Hasina has remained tightlipped and refrained from divulging anything. She only said the size of the cabinet may be like a ‘rasgolla’ a round shaped sweet, but it could be seen how much sweet it contained when the power-hungry politicians both in the government and the opposition will be locked in the tug of war.
The names of the fortunate ones who are learnt to have found entrance to Hasina’s laptop are Sajeda, Matia Chowdhury, Dr Mashiur Rahman, AM Abdul Muhit, Dr Dipu Moni, Fazle Noor Tapash, HT Imam and Barrister Shafiq Ahmed. Barrister Shafiq who was the chief defence Counsel of Hasina in the graft cases has disclosed he was offered to become the law minister.
On the other hand, Sharfuddin Khan Mukul, the chief prosecution lawyer of the graft cases against Hasina, has resigned. He attributed the reason for his resignation to a personal ground. Hasina seemed to have overcome all legal hurdles to become the Prime Minister of the country.
Earlier TIB Chairman Prof Muzaffar Ahmed said, Hasina requires court clearance before taking oath as the Prime Minister.
He said, people’s confidence on the judiciary will be shaken unless she was cleared by the highest judiciary.
Barrister Shafiq Ahmed said Sheikh Hasina was on bail from the highest judiciary. A person who was on bail does not require further clearance from any other court to become Prime Minister, Barrister Shafiq said adding, most of the accusers in the graft cases against the would-be Prime Minister had withdrawn their allegations of graft.
All speculations were put to rest after Presidential invitation urging Hasina to become Prime Minister of the country was circulated. Sheikh Hasina is reported to have excluded those aspirants who were implicated in corruption cases. She will not do anything which will even slightly damage the reputation of her future cabinet. Suranjit, Amir Hossain Amu and Razzak known as reformists for their ‘hidden’ entente with the caretaker government are not likely to have berth in the new government. The opposition 4-party alliance have only 10 per cent representation in the Parliament which is decisively unbalanced.
The parliamentary democracy cannot run unless the opposition is adequately strong. In the 1973 Parliament the government side had a total of 273 MPs as against the opposition which had only seven MPs. It could be anybody’s guess what will be the fate of such unbalanced Parliament having opposition which lacks a mentionable figure. The 1973 Parliament met with a disaster when one-party Baksal rule was introduced in the country in 1975. The Parliament without effective opposition will be a rubber-stamp for the government.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Party has sent names of Anisul Islam Mahmud, G M Kader, Ziauddin Bablu and R A Hawlader to Sheikh Hasina for induction as ministers.
Earlier Ershad was annoyed as he received no phone call from Hasina and said, he will be neither in the government nor in the opposition in the Parliament.
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