Sack inept ministers as Eid gift

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Prof Mizanur Rahman yesterday urged the government to remove incompetent ministers from the cabinet.
"That (removal of the ministers) would be the most precious Eid gift of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the country's people," said Prof Mizanur at a roundtable on democracy and rule of law organised by Bangabandhu Shikkha O Gobeshona Parishad at Dhaka Reporters' Unity.
The ministers, who are distancing the government from people, should not be in the cabinet, he said.
About issuing licence to untrained and illiterate drivers, Mizanur described the shipping minister's recent recommendation for 24,000 new licences as "sheer violation of law".
He cautioned the government against intelligence agency, saying, "We learnt from the media how intelligence supported the grenade attack (August 21, 2004). So don't trust any intelligence agency or organisations."
Mizanur also suggested that the government should be aware of some bureaucrats, who spoil the image of the government, and take action against them.
He asked the government to stop extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies or angry mobs. The rule of law would not be established in the country otherwise, he observed.
The high-ups of the state have to be more responsible while making public statements, said the NHRC chairman. "You (Khaleda Zia) may be a big leader of the country but you can't throw the constitution," he said.
He urged political leaders to practice truthfulness. "As people didn't believe Joj Miah story, they also didn't trust when the incumbent government tried to brand Limon as a terrorist."
State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam at the roundtable blamed the opposition party for terrorist activities and anarchy in the country.
He said the non-government organisations are siphoning off huge amounts of foreign aid in the name of poverty reduction. "Politicians may have some faults. But you should also criticise the NGOs for their role."
Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, president of Bangabandhu Shikkha O Gobeshona Parishad, chaired the programme.
Justice Mohammad Golam Rabbani, president of Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee; Yusuf Hossain Humayun, presidium member of Awami League, and senior lawyer of the Supreme Court Abdul Baset Majumder also spoke at the programme.