Tofail Ahmed and Rashed Khan Menon’s negative response to the offer of berths in the cabinet is a clear hint of a lack of confidence in the Awami League’s style of governance.
A similar notion came from the Jatiya Party (JP) four to five months ago, when the Awami League offered to make JP chief HM Ershad a special envoy of the prime minister and two of his party leaders ministers.
However, neither the AL nor its key ally, the Jatiya Party, made the rift public.
On his unwillingness to become a minister, veteran Awami League politician Tofail Ahmed yesterday told the media that he could not accept such a responsibility at this moment.
“I am not prepared politically, mentally and socially. It matters little if I am not in the cabinet,” said Tofail at his residence.
The AL lawmaker had declined the same proposal last December.
Sources close to Tofail said his refusal was the outcome of frustration and disappointment with some AL and government high-ups. But Tofail said his decision had nothing to do with frustration or anger.
The AL lawmaker has recently been much vocal against the government’s handling of the Hall-Mark scam, construction of the Padma bridge and sharemarket debacle.
Meanwhile, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon’s ‘no’ to a ministerial position came with a clear cut explanation.
Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, his party lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha said, “Despite us being a component of the ruling alliance, neither the prime minister nor any top leaders of the Awami League consulted with us about running the country.”
He said the WP had urged the AL on several occasions to make the alliance vibrant and to handle crucial issues, like the Padma bridge funding, through consensus among the allies.
On the party’s decision not to join the cabinet, Badsha said “Considering the present situation, we have decided not to involve our president [Menon] in the cabinet. But we will keep supporting the government from outside the cabinet.”
JP lawmaker Mujibul Haque a few days ago told The Daily Star that the AL had previously offered to take two JP leaders, including Anisul Islam Mahmud, in the cabinet.
“But we advised our leader [Ershad] not to join the council of ministers as it was too late. Besides, the new ministers will not be able to perform well at the fag end of this government’s tenure,” he added.
Ziauddin Ahmed, presidium member of the JP, also admitted getting such a proposal from the AL.
JP chief Ershad recently took a swipe at the government over alleged corruption in the Padma bridge project, Hall-Mark and capital market scams, forced disappearances and deterioration of law and order.
Last week, the JP announced the names of over 100 leaders as its prospective candidates for the next election.
Hasanul Huq Inu, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, another ally of the AL, however, accepted the invitation to become a minister.
Dilip Barua, general secretary of Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal and a partner in the alliance, was made a technocrat minister when Sheikh Hasina formed her cabinet on January 06, 2009.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
