Ex-judge to head caretaker govt. in Bangladesh

By Haroon Habib

DHAKA, JULY 3. Mr. Justice Latifur Rahman, former Chief Justice of Bangladesh, will head the caretaker government when the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina leaves office on July 15 on completion of her Government's five years in office.

Mr. Rahman, who will head the interim administration as per Constitutional provisions, has the extremely tough task of holding free elections within the next 90 days. Mr. Rahman met the President, Mr. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed reportedly to discuss the formation of his 10-member council of advisers, and also the preparations for holding a violence-free credible election. Mr. Rahman retired from the top judicial post in February this year.

With less than two weeks to go before the caretaker government takes over, both the ruling Awami League and the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BN)P are finalising their choices of advisers for the interim administration. The two major political parties are also planning rallies in Dhaka and elsewhere beginning July 9, mainly as a show of strength and to voice their demands to the incoming caretaker government.

Though Sheikh Hasina has announced that she will hand over power on July 15, the Begum Khaleda Zia-led Opposition has demanded that she step down immediately, calling her announcement to hand over power two days after her term expires as ``unconstitutional and ridiculous''. Constitutional experts say a delay of one or two days makes no difference as the outgoing Prime Minister, under the present Constitution, can continue to function for the next 15 days if the President so desires till the caretaker government is formed.

The Opposition, meanwhile, has urged Mr. Justice Shahabuddin to take steps for the formation of the caretaker government ``as soon as the time for the incumbent ends''. But just ahead of the power hand over, a sensitive issue has cropped up involving the security of the two surviving daughters of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Parliament recently passed a law which would give Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rahena life-long State protection, including accommodation. Even as the parliamentary measure elicited adverse reaction, a Cabinet decision taken on Monday enraged the Opposition even further. In view of the fact that a court has sentenced to death most of the ex-army officers in the Mujib murder trial, the Cabinet decided that Sheikh Hasina would continue to stay at ``Ganobhaban'', the official residence of the Prime Minister even after she leaves office on July 15.

The Daily Star reported today that Sheikh Hasina thanked her Cabinet colleagues for the decision but said in a lighter vein that she would take her own decision whether to stay there. The Law and Justice Minister, Mr. Abdul Matin Khasru said the decision was taken to ensure Sheikh Hasina's security by keeping the ``Ganobhaban'' under State ownership. The BNP and other Opposition parties have objected to the Cabinet decision, arguing that it could undermine the image of the caretaker government and influence the next election. The ruling party denied the charge, saying the arrangement was only for Sheikh Hasina's security and had nothing to do with the constitutional functioning of the caretaker government.

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Section  : International
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