Cabinet of Bangladesh


22nd Cabinet of Bangladesh
Incumbent
Date formed8 August 2024
People and organisations
Head of statePresident Mohammed Shahabuddin
Head of governmentChief Adviser Muhammad Yunus
No. of ministers10
Total no. of members17
Member partyIndependent
History
PredecessorHasina V

The Cabinet of Bangladesh (Bengali: বাংলাদেশের মন্ত্রিসভা, Bangladesher Mantrisabha) is the chief executive body in the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The cabinet is the collective decision-making body of the entire government normally under the Office of the Prime Minister, composed of the prime minister and other cabinet ministers. During a caretaker government or interim government, the cabinet is instead composed of the chief adviser and other cabinet advisers. These "advisorial" positions are equivalent to their respective ministerial positions.

Responsibility

[edit]

Ministers of the government, according to the Constitution of Bangladesh, are selected primarily from the elected members of House of Nation, also known as Jatiya Sangsad. Cabinet ministers are heads of government departments, mostly with the office of the "Minister of [department, e.g. Defence]". The collective co-ordinating function of the cabinet is reinforced by the statutory position that all the ministers jointly hold the same office, and can exercise the same powers.

The cabinet is the ultimate decision-making body of the executive within the parliamentary system of government in traditional constitutional theory of Bangladesh. This interpretation was originally put across in the work of the Bangladesh constitution in 1972. The political and decision-making authority of the cabinet has been gradually increased over the last few decades, with some claiming its role has been usurped by "prime ministerial" (i.e. more "presidential") government.

The cabinet is the executive committee of the Prime Minister's Office, a historic body which has legislative, judicial and executive functions, and whose large membership does include member(s) of the opposition or coalition. Its decisions are generally implemented either under the existing powers of individual government departments, or by the cabinet secretary, the most senior civil servant in Bangladesh.

There shall be a Cabinet for Bangladesh having the Prime Minister at its head and comprising also such other Ministers as the Prime Minister may from time to time designate. The executive power of the Republic shall, in accordance with this Constitution, be exercised by or on the authority of the Prime Minister. The Cabinet shall be collectively responsible to Parliament. All executive actions of the Government shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the President. The President shall by rules specify the manner in which orders and other instruments made in his name shall be attested or authenticated, and the validity of any order or instrument so attested or authenticated shall not be questioned in any court on the ground that it was not duly made or executed. The President shall make rules for the allocation and transaction of the business of the Government.

— Article 55 (1-6): The Cabinet; Part-IV (The Executive), Chapter II: The Prime Minister and the Cabinet, The Constitution of Bangladesh[1]

Current cabinet and cabinet-rank officials

[edit]

The most influential part of the executive of the Bangladesh government are the ministries.[2] A ministry headed by a minister or state minister (independent charges) shall be responsible for conducting the business of his ministry/division in the parliament unless otherwise directed by the Prime Minister's Office. The secretary is the administrative head of a ministry or division; and is assisted by an additional secretary, joint secretary, deputy secretary, senior assistant secretary and assistant secretary. A few ministries consist of more than one division.

There are two categories of ministers and attendees of the cabinet:

  • Minister: senior minister; leads a ministry
  • Minister of State: junior minister; leads a ministry
Position Name Portrait Offices held
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Chief Advisor's Office,

Cabinet Division, Armed Forces Division, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Ministry of Land

The following lists the advisors of the interim government:[3][4][5][6][7]

Name Portrait Position before Offices held
Salehuddin Ahmed Former governor of Bangladesh Bank Ministry of Finance,

Ministry of Commerce

Asif Nazrul Faculty member of law at the University of Dhaka Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs,

Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Cultural Affairs

Md. Touhid Hossain Former foreign secretary of Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Rizwana Hasan Chief executive of BELA Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,

Ministry of Water Resources

Nahid Islam Key co-ordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology,

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Asif Mahmud Key co-ordinator of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement Ministry of Youth and Sports,

Ministry of Labour and Employment

M Sakhawat Hossain Retired brigadier general of the Bangladesh Army, former election commissioner of Bangladesh Ministry of Textiles and Jute
A F M Khalid Hossain Professor and deputy amir of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh[8] Ministry of Religious Affairs
Nurjahan Begum Former acting managing director, Grameen Bank Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Adilur Rahman Khan Former deputy attorney general of Bangladesh and founder of Odhikar Ministry of Industries,

Ministry of Housing and Public Works

A. F. Hassan Ariff Former attorney general of Bangladesh Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives
Farida Akhter Founding executive, UBINIG Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
Sharmeen Murshid Chief executive officer of Brotee Ministry of Social Welfare
Supradip Chakma Chairman, Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs
Bidhan Ranjan Roy Former director-cum-professor, National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
Faruk-e-Azam Veteran of Bangladesh Liberation War, Bir Protik Ministry of Liberation War Affairs,

Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief

Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan Former secretary of Power Division Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges,

Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources

Wahiduddin Mahmud Member of the UN Committee for Development Policy and an Economist Ministry of Education,

Ministry of Planning

Jahangir Alam Chowdhury Former director general of Bangladesh Rifles Ministry of Home Affairs,

Ministry of Agriculture

Ali Imam Majumder Former cabinet secretary Attached to the Chief Adviser's Office as special assistant

List of previous cabinets

[edit]
No. Cabinet Formation date Election Ruling party Governing system
1 Mujib I 17 April 1971 None Bangladesh Awami League Provisional
2 Mujib II 12 January 1972 1970 Bangladesh Awami League Provisional
3 Mujib III 16 March 1973 1973 Bangladesh Awami League Parliamentary
4 Mujib IV 26 January 1975 None BaKSAL Presidential
5 Mostaq 15 August 1975 None Bangladesh Awami League Presidential
6 Sayem 6 November 1975 None Military/Bangladesh Awami League Interim
7 Zia

15 April 1979

1978 Bangladesh Nationalist Party Presidential
8 Sattar 27 November 1981 1981 Bangladesh Nationalist Party Presidential
9 Ershad 11 December 1983 1986 Military/Jatiya Party Presidential
10 Shahabuddin 6 December 1990 None Impartial Interim
11 Khaleda I 20 March 1991 1991 & Feb 1996 Bangladesh Nationalist Party Parliamentary
12 Habibur 30 March 1996 None Impartial Caretaker
13 Hasina I 23 June 1996 Jun 1996 Bangladesh Awami League Parliamentary
14 Latif 15 July 2001 None Impartial Caretaker
15 Khaleda II 10 October 2001 2001 Bangladesh Nationalist Party Parliamentary
16 Iajuddin 29 October 2006 None Impartial Caretaker
17 Fakhruddin 11 January 2007 None Impartial Caretaker
18 Hasina II 6 January 2009 2008 Bangladesh Awami League Parliamentary
19 Hasina III 24 January 2014 2014 Bangladesh Awami League Parliamentary
20 Hasina IV 7 January 2019 2018 Bangladesh Awami League Parliamentary
21 Hasina V 11 January 2024 2024 Bangladesh Awami League Parliamentary
22 Yunus 8 August 2024 None Impartial Interim

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Chapter 3: Chapter:3 The Federal Government". Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. ^ "বাংলাদেশ (Bangladesh) জাতীয় তথ্য বাতায়ন | গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার | People's Republic of Bangladesh".
  3. ^ "Who's Who In Bangladesh's New Interim Govt As Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina Flees Restive Nation?". News18. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Coordinators of anti-discrimination movement going to Bangabhaban". RTV News. 7 August 2024.
  5. ^ Alam, Md. Rashedul. অন্তর্বর্তী সরকারের সম্ভাব্য উপদেষ্টা যাঁরা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Who are the possible faces of the interim government of Bangladesh?". The Business Standard. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Interim govt: Who will oversee which ministry?". Dhaka Tribune. 9 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Yunus-led interim govt sworn in". The Daily Star. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.