Young blood likely to rule next AL central body

The young and dedicated leaders who served the party braving adversity during the post-1/11 days are likely to win vital posts in the next central committee of ruling Awami League.
The national council on July 24 may also see changes in Presidium, highest policymaking body in AL, and organising secretary- and secretary-level positions.
Those who worked against the party during the caretaker government rule and those who came from different leftist parties may find themselves in a tight corner, said AL insiders.
AL President Sheikh Hasina’s sister Sheikh Rehana and son Sajeeb Wazed Joy may be included in the new committee for their behind-the-scene work for the party in absence of Hasina, said a source close to the AL chief.
Rehana might be made a presidium member and Joy an executive member of the central committee. “It’s pretty sure she [Rehana] is having a place in the committee as the time is ripe for her to enter politics,” observed the source.
Meanwhile, the AL ranks keep wondering about who is going to be elected general secretary and what will become of the party stalwarts who attempted to bring about reforms in AL with Hasina behind bars.
Some sources say Matia Chowdhury, a presidium member, might be given the post of general secretary in recognition of her service to the party in troubled times.
“If she agrees, she might come out as the next general secretary,” said a close aide to Hasina.
Matia, also agriculture minister, however told The Daily Star, “I’m not a candidate for the post. I know my limits. The prime minister has given me charge of the agriculture ministry and I want to work sincerely there,” she said.
Asked about the formation of the committee, Matia said she thinks it would be a mix of youth and experience.
Meanwhile, some other sources said one of the incumbent AL joint general secretaries–Obaidul Quader and Syed Ashraful Islam–might be made general secretary.
Quader has been in close contact with the grassroots since he was a student leader. Ashraf, on the other hand, played a very crucial role for the party after 1/11.
Quader however says he does not have any plans to vie for the number two post in the ruling party.
Most of the AL leaders believe that a detailed evaluation report that Hasina has had on her party colleagues may have a bearing on composition of the new committee.
As she did in choosing ministers, the AL chief might again bank on the young and fresh leaders.
Many former student leaders who are well educated would be inducted into the central committee. But those who conspired against AL and its chief and also those who stayed off when the party needed them most are surely going to be left out, said a leader preferring not to be named.
“At the end of the day, everything comes down to what the party chief chooses,” he added.

Courtesy of The Daily Star