The ruling Awami League has passed the outgoing year with both hopes and challenges after it took charge of the state power for third consecutive term in the beginning of 2019.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed her cabinet with a bunch of new faces. And few months later, Hasina, also the president of Awami League, took some organizational and legal actions against some top level leaders of its affiliated bodies, found to be involved in illegal casino businesses and other unlawful practices.
On January 7, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina took oath as the country’s prime minister for the third consecutive term, along with 46 members of her new cabinet, following her party's massive victory in the 11th general election.
Through the swearing-in of the new ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers, the country got a cabinet with all members from the Awami League after 1973.
This also marked Sheikh Hasina’s record fourth time in power as the prime minister. The 47-member cabinet led by Sheikh Hasina introduced 27 new faces and four others, who did not hold office in the immediate past cabinet but were ministers in previous AL-led government.
Some Awami League big guns in the likes of Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury got dropped from that newly formed cabinet.
Some people thought that the new cabinet members will not perform well as it lacked experience. But most of the cabinet members, except a few, performed well, government sources claimed.
In the outgoing year, the running government had to face numerous challenges like rumour mongering over “requirement of human heads and bloods” for the piling work of Padma Bridge and government had to take tough stance against propagation of such unscientific, unrealistic and ridiculous idea.
Two major and some minor fires broke out in the outgoing year including Churihatta tragedy and FR Tower incident of Banani. At least 67 lives were lost in Churihatta fire and more than 25 deaths have been confirmed after Banani’s deadly fire of FR tower.
Cyclone Fani, one of the strongest storms in decades, battered the Indian subcontinent and smashed Bangladesh this year. The damage caused by Cyclone Fani, which hit Bangladesh in May, was estimated to be around Tk536.61 crore.
The government had to tackle aftermaths of various devastations like fire, landslide, flash flood, lightning water logging, building collapse, boat capsize, bridge collapse, riverbank erosion and flood. But critics said measures taken by the government were never enough.
After having to quell the huge quota reform movement and road safety movement in the previous year, Awami League was lucky having relative calm in the outgoing year as far as any mass protest is concerned.
BNP managed to win only six out of the 300 parliamentary seats in the December 30, 2018 election. Gonoforum, a partner in the BNP-led Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF), bagged only two.
On numerous occasions, including on the Election Day, the JOF alliance rejected what it dubbed, a farcical election, demanded fresh polls and said they would not join parliament. But finally they have joined in the parliament.
Following the election, Awami League led government was able to make sure BNP’s representation in the national parliament though it took a long time to persuade the BNP lawmakers to take oath and attend the House’s proceedings. Four BNP MPs took oath although party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who has also been elected, did not do so.
The outgoing year also witnessed Sheikh Hasina taking stern action against who were found to be involved in the recently busted illegal casino businesses and other unlawful practices.
It was the first time in Bangladesh, when president and secretary of the ruling party's student front Chhatra League were removed from their posts due to the allegation of extortion. After that youth wing of ruling party Awami Jubo League, Awami Secchasebok League and some other wings’ top leaders also faced music.
Though central leadership of the party clearly hinted at catching the “big fish” after the “small fries,” the anti-casino drive somewhat lost steam after arrest of a Jubo League leader – Samrat.
Some affiliated organization of Awami League have faced the consequence of unlawful practices but a number of leaders who have alleged blessings to casino business and unlawful activities countrywide still managed to get posts in Awami League’s central committee after party’s 21st National Council recently.
The new party setup partially demonstrated the AL determination to separate the party roles from that of the government ministries. Except a few, in most of the cases AL leaders have been given either the ministerial roles or key party positions. Nine cabinet members were dropped from the central committee of AL but still there are 5 ministers in AL’s top brass including Prime Minister and four more influential ministers.
