Archive for November 2nd, 2006
Thursday, November 2nd, 2006The council of advisers to the interim government yesterday in its first meeting started searching for ways to make the Election Commission (EC) factually effective by any means necessary to hold the next parliamentary election in a free and fair manner. They are scheduled to meet again at 12:30pm today.On the first working day of the council, the advisers to the caretaker government headed by President Iajuddin Ahmed, reached a consensus that the EC must be made effective as holding a fair election largely depends on its capabilities, sources said.In response to the opinions of his advisers, the president also ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006The Awami League (AL)-led 14-party combine yesterday briefed foreign diplomats and donors' representatives in Dhaka about the current political situation, and said failure to carry out the 11-point immediate task it put forward to the president and chief adviser of the caretaker government would bring his neutrality into question.The president and chief adviser's hesitation to implement the tasks or his deviation from or avoidance of those will force the 14-party to go for movements for a free and fair election and for establishing people's rights, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said reading out a statement of party chief Sheikh Hasina ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006President and Chief Adviser Professor Iajuddin Ahmed last night allocated portfolios to the advisors of his caretaker government, keeping all the vital ministries under his stewardship.Professor Iajuddin will hold the Chief Adviser's Office, Armed Forces Division, Cabinet Division, Election Commission Secretariat, NGO Affairs Bureau, Defense Ministry, Establishment Ministry, Bangladesh Public Service Commission, Ministries Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and Education.Adviser former justice Fazlul Huq was given the Ministries of Law and Justice, Land, and Environment and Forest.Adviser Dr. Akbar Ali Khan was given the charge of Finance, Planning, Commerce and Post and Telecommunications Ministries.Adviser Hasan Mashud Chowdhury got the charge of ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said 14-party coalition's demand for restructuring the Election Commission (EC) is 'new' to him.Terming the demand a 'new one' the BNP secretary general, in a press briefing yesterday morning in his party's central office at Naya Paltan in the capital, categorically said, "There is no scope in the constitution to take any action against anyone in the EC."Welcoming the newly appointed advisers to the caretaker government, Mannan Bhuiyan said the interim government will hold a general election in three months time and appointing the advisers was a step forward to that direction."All of ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006Bangladesh saw a steady rise in its annual GDP rate in the five years of the BNP-led alliance government's rule. But at the same time, the country saw the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer due to ever-increasing corruption.Studies show income of half the 14 crore people has decreased by the end of the alliance government's regime. On the other hand, income of 30 percent people marked moderate increase and the top 20 percent made sharp increase.The rising GDP (gross domestic product) rate however implies that the country's overall poverty level has marked a downtrend.Though the ruling BNP ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006Disappointing some of the newly sworn advisers, there was no discussion on distribution of portfolios in the first meeting of the council of advisers to the interim government.Some of the advisers expressed their astonishment, as President also Chief of the Caretaker Government Iajuddin Ahmed did not even bring up the issue for discussion in their first meeting.Some of them also asked the president when they would get their portfolios, meeting sources said.The president is said to have told the advisers that they would learn about their portfolios at night, but he did not discuss who would get which office."As ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006The council of ten advisers to the non-party caretaker government yesterday sought cooperation from all as they vowed to hold a free and fair election through dedication to their responsibilities. At their first meeting with President and Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban yesterday, they expressed optimism about gaining people's confidence as advisers in the interim government.The president urged them to keep in mind all the matters needed to hold a free and fair election."We think it is our national responsibility and hope everybody will come to save the country's democracy," adviser Dr Akbar Ali Khan told newsmen.Adviser Lt ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006Adviser to the caretaker government former justice Fazlul Haque yesterday came down heavily on the political parties for setting a deadline for the advisers to prove their neutrality and keeping their activities under watch."I'll object to this. We don't have any link with politics. These kinds of statements are very objectionable," the former judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court told reporters yesterday while talking on the AL-led 14-party's reaction after the advisers took oath Tuesday night.AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil Tuesday night told journalists that the 14-party would follow the activities of the advisers to ascertain whether ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006BNP has taken a fresh initiative to bring HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party (JP) to its alliance and the JP chief and his wife JP presidium member Rawshan Ershad met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Hawa Bhaban yesterday to discuss the matter of joining with the alliance.Earlier on Tuesday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman held a meeting with JP Chairman HM Ershad at the house of former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and requested him to join with BNP-led four-party alliance before the next general election.BNP leader former deputy minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu also had ...
(read more) Thursday, November 2nd, 2006Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday expressed satisfaction over performance of the chief adviser to the caretaker government. "He is doing a wonderful job, I will give him an A+ for what he has done," Yunus commented on Prof Iajuddin Ahmed, the chief adviser (CA) to the caretaker government."It's not the time for disputes over the appointment of the chief adviser, it's time to move forward," said Yunus while talking to the diplomats of four European countries.Four Ambassadors from Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and France yesterday called on Prof Yunus separately at his Grameen Bank head office at Mirpur. ...
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