Bangladesh News

Advisers to the caretaker government are wrapping up their pending official tasks as the country’s administrative hub, Bangladesh Secretariat, prepares to receive new ministers after over two year’s wait.

Bureaucrats yesterday bade farewell to a number of advisers who took charges of different ministries on January 12 last year and are expected to end their tenure with the swearing in of the newly-elected cabinet members tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and his cabinet colleagues–10 advisers and five special assistants–had their final cabinet meeting yesterday to review their decisions and activities in the last two years. They thanked the people and government employees for their cooperation in discharging their duties.

There has been a mixed atmosphere at the Secretariat as ministers are expected to take over, once portfolios are distributed among them at the end of this week, ending the extended tenure of the unelected government.

The ministries were run by advisers and special assistants to the chief adviser since the BNP-led coalition government handed over power to a caretaker government after their tenure ended in October, 2006.

The whole Secretariat is wearing a new look as the ministry offices are being cleaned and decorated to welcome the new ministers.

Officials of the Secretariat bade farewell to Commerce and Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman, LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal, Communication and Housing and Public Works Adviser Ghulam Quader and Law and Land Adviser AF Hassan Ariff yesterday.

They thanked each other for their cooperation and hoped that the upcoming government and its ministers would be different from the past ones in terms of attitude and performance.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) also bade farewell to Zillur presenting him with a bouquet of flowers at his ministry office.

“We almost completed our jobs and will depart soon but we want to leave the job in such a way that the new government can start smoothly,” Zillur told reporters after meeting the business leaders.

He hoped that the new government would be strong as it would have to perform well to satisfy people’s expectations and desires.

Asked about crucial tasks of the new government, he said, “They should take decisions, especially on the economic and market-related issues, in consultation with the people concerned.”

Zillur, vocal for his campaign for qualitative change in politics and the governance, said the people are more confident and ambitious than before. “They will keep pressure on the new government to do better.”

Meanwhile, the cabinet division kept cars and residences ready for the would-be cabinet members. “Some 50 cars and 27 residences are ready for the cabinet members,” said Cabinet Secretary Abdul Aziz yesterday.

Activities at the Secretariat have almost come to a standstill as the advisers and special assistants are just signing pending files. They are expected to end tenure by attending tomorrow’s oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet at Bangabhaban, officials said.