'Be careful'

Focusing on good governance, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday warned her new cabinet colleagues that they would be under her surveillance.

“Be careful, I'll always keep you under my surveillance to see who's doing what.”

The PM issued the warning when the newly appointed ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers met her at the Gono Bhaban.

Hasina asked all to try to know and understand their responsibilities first and then go for discharging their duties.

Talking about her anxiety about the 11th general election, Hasina said had the BNP-Jamaat clique managed to return to power, there would have been “genocide”. “They would just unleash 'genocide'.”

She recalled the horrible days after the 1991 election when the BNP government oppressed the political leaders.

After the 2001 election, the PM said, the BNP-Jamaat men acted like Pakistan's occupation forces.

“They raped our girls and women just for casting their votes for the Awami League. No place was left where the BNP-Jamaat men had not unleashed their reign of terror.”

Hasina said if the BNP-Jamaat evil force had somehow managed to come back to power, numerous dead bodies would have been found across the country. “They would do what the Pakistani forces did here in 1971.”

She alleged that the BNP-Jamaat clique would not allow businessmen to do their business freely and hundreds of civil and military officers would have lost their jobs.

About her party's victory by a landslide in the December 30 polls, the PM said this had been possible as the party picked its candidates judiciously.

The AL chief said she conducted several surveys involving foreign organisations before finally choosing the candidates.

On the BNP's debacle in the election, Hasina mentioned that the nomination trade cost the party dearly in addition to the indecision over the Oikyafront leadership. “They failed to pick eligible candidates for the election as they put their seats up for auction."

Regarding the Oikyafront's recent move, the PM said they were now complaining to foreign diplomats. “Many diplomats themselves were physically present at many centres in Sylhet and Dhaka on the election day.”

“The voters' turnout, especially the presence of women, surprised them.”

Hasina said the results of this election and that of the 2008 one was very much similar as the voters overwhelmingly voted for the AL.