Over half the new cabinet are first time cabinet ministers.
Even though the same party is forming the government, a majority of ministers of the immediate past cabinet have been changed. The many new faces and removal of a number of controversial figures, shows promise that the government is serious about its declared intention to reward competence and build credibility.
The new cabinet may still face questions about its composition as not all members are free from controversy. It also remains to be seen how well the Jatiya party can fulfill its mixed role of both providing ministers for a multi-party government and in forming the official opposition.
Even so, the bold step of comprehensively refreshing the cabinet, and highlighting controversy and incompetence as reasons for dropping members, is highly welcome. A cabinet containing more capable, credible individuals has the potential to be good for governance and the national interest.
In order to achieve this however, competent performance must also be rewarded. Ministers need to be held accountable for their performance whilst in office. Incompetence or corruption must be identified and dealt with more quickly. Reshuffles should not just be about dropping individuals who have performed poorly at the end of a term.
This new cabinet, for all its promise, takes shape following a highly controversial election. The issue of real public mandate is not necessarily resolved to the satisfaction of all citizens, so, even as we wish this new cabinet well for the sake of the country, the government still needs to engage with the BNP as the largest opposing party in the country.
