Awami League senior leaders have said the present constitution does not bar the present cabinet from discharging duties during the interim administration that will aid the Election Commission to hold the next general elections.
Referring to the examples of the first general election in 1973, senior leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta on Saturday night made it clear to Law Minister Shafique Ahmed, who sat with them to get their views on the next polls.
Sheikh Hasina told them to see how Bangabandhu acted as the prime minister with all of his cabinet colleagues.
Even the technocrat minister could also continue as ministers during the interim period headed by Sheikh Hasina.
Shafique Ahmed expressed his anger at the comment of Awami League Presidium Member Mohammad Nasim, who recently said the law minister would unveil the structure of the interim government in the parliament’s upcoming session starting on September 12.
According to the first constitution (1972), the general elections must take place under the incumbent government that itself turns into an interim administration.
The prime minister and the cabinet members could vie in the elections without enjoying any government facilities.
In the face of strong political movement the BNP government in 1996 introduced the provision of non-party caretaker government scrapping the original provision of interim government comprised of the incumbent government.
After the country’s independence on December 16, 1971, the Awami League government formed a constituent assembly comprising the elected representatives of the Pakistan national parliament and provincial assemblies in 1970.
The constituent assembly presented the 1972 constitution that stipulated that an elected parliament would be dissolved 90 days ahead of the completion of its five-year tenure and the cabinet would turn interim for assisting the Election Commission to hold the polls.
In accordance with the provision premier Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman headed the interim government with all of his cabinet members.
The present Awami League government on June 30, 2011 scrapped the provision of the non-party caretaker government from the charter terming it anti-constitution.
“There is no bar to retaining the present whole cabinet during the interim administration; even the constitution allows the 10 percent technocrat ministers to continue,” Suranjit Sengupta told the Dhaka Tribune on Sunday at his meeting with Shafique Ahmed, a technocrat minister.
He said the cabinet would works as caretaker adopting no policy decisions. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet would come under the Election Commission.
Supported by Amu and Tofail, Suranjit said the government in no way amends the constitution, no matter whether the BNP takes part in the election or not.
All of the three top leaders observed that the Representation of the People’s Order, which regulate the parliament elections, must be free from some of the provisions inserted in the charter to make them consistent with the provision of the non-party caretaker government.
Shafique Ahmed on Sunday told the Dhaka Tribune that he heard the Awami League leaders. He said Mohammad Nasim did not consult him before making the public statement that the law minister would disclose the structure of the interim cabinet.
The main opposition BNP and its allies have already announced to boycot the next poll if it takes place under Hasina-led interim administration.
