Sayem ministry | |
---|---|
Interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh | |
26 November 1975–12 June 1978 | |
Date formed | 8 November 1975 |
Date dissolved | 29 June 1978 |
People and organisations | |
President | Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem Ziaur Rahman (acting) |
President's history | ASM Sayem Former Chief Justice of Bangladesh (1972–75) Ziaur Rahman Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Army (since 1975) Chief Martial Law Administrator (since 1976) |
Vice-President | Abdus Sattar |
No. of ministers | 21 |
Total no. of members | 31 |
Member parties | Military Independent Awami League Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal |
Status in legislature | Dissolved |
History | |
Election | - |
Outgoing election | 1978 (presidential) |
Predecessor | Mostaq |
Successor | Zia |
The Sayem ministry led what eventually became the first interim government in independent Bangladesh and an unofficial model for future interim regimes. It was formed on 8 November 1975, [1] following the assassination of Brig. Gen. Khaled Mosharraf on 7 November amid a nationwide soldier and public uprising against his 3 November coup d'état. [2] [3] After a three-day coup with support of some high-ranking officers and his Dhaka Brigade, [4] Mosharraf had forced Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who, following the 15 August coup that assassinated the autocratic founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, [5] replaced him as President of Bangladesh with support of the mid-ranking assassin officers, to resign. [6] Chief Justice Sayem, with the constitutional requirement for the direct election of the president and role of the vice-president as acting president suspended by Mostaq under a martial law proclamation, [7] had been installed in his place. [6] [8] With Mosharraf's death the responsibility of CMLA (Chief Martial Law Administrator) fell on Sayem. [4]
Following the first-ever dissolution of the Jatiya Sangsad on 7 November, [9] the cabinet was initially set up as a military junta with the recently promoted armed forces chiefs, notably the chief of army staff war hero Ziaur Rahman, who had been usurped and put under house arrest by Mosharraf during the coup, [2] [10] as the CMLA's deputies. [4] [8] [10]
At Bangabhaban on 26 November 1975, the president administered oath to a newly formed council of advisers defacto headed by the junta. He promised a general election in February 1977 in a presidential speech addressed to the nation, [8] but in November 1976, with the country in a dire situation with no stability and security, indefinitely postponed it and relinquished his CMLA duty with Zia nominated to succeed. [4] [9] 5 months later on 21 April 1977, [9] [11] when Sayem retired on health grounds, [12] in the absence of a vice-president in office Zia decided to act as president. Forty days later he organised a nationwide presidential confidence referendum to legitimise his presidency. [9] [10] In June, the President's special assistant Abdus Sattar was promoted to the office of vice-president and on 9 December, the council of advisers was reorganised with three dismissals and seven new appointments. [9]
After coming to power, Zia immediately moved to restore law and order in the country by strengthening the police force, practically doubling its size and arranging for their proper training, as well as order in the armed forces and withdrew the ban on the newspapers inaugurating the free flow of news by making the information media free and without government interference. [4] [10] An ordinance allowing political parties to engage in open politics was promulgated reversing the ban imposed on them by Mujibur Rahman months prior to his assassination. [4] [10] Zia organised his own party in February 1978 called the Jatiyotabadi Gonotantrik Dol ("Nationalist Democratic Party"), or JaGoDol for short, and in the presidential election – the first direct election – that year, his candidacy was supported by his and five other parties of the nationalist "Jatiyatabadi Front". [13] He achieved a landslide victory against his wartime superior, retired commander-in-chief MAG Osmani, [10] whose candidacy was supported by the then-dominant Awami League and five other parties of the socialist "Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote ("Alliance of Democratic Unity")". [13]
The cabinet was dissolved on 29 June 1978, once Zia formed his provisional Council of Ministers before the pending general election scheduled to be held next year. [1]
The military coup in Bangladesh on August 15 of 1975 was launched by mid-ranking army officers in order to assassinate founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, [14] [15] whose administration post-independence grew corrupt and reportedly authoritarian until he established a one-party state-based government led by the socialist party Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League. [16] [17] Mujib, along with his resident family members, were killed during the coup but was survived by his two then-expat daughters, one of them being future prime minister Sheikh Hasina. [18] [19] The officers were led by Capt. Abdul Majed, Maj. Syed Faruque Rahman, Maj. Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj. Shariful Haque Dalim. [18]
Immediately following the coup, one of Mujib's close associates and cabinet ministers Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, with support of the officers, took control of the government and declared himself President of Bangladesh. [20] Under martial law, he made a proclamation on 20 August to amend the constitution to omit the provision for the legal basis for one-party system. [21] He reportedly praised the assassin officers, calling them "Children of the Sun", and proclaimed the Indemnity Ordinance, which granted them immunity from prosecution. [22] [23]The following lists the president(s), the vice-president(s) and the special assistant(s) to the president: [1]
Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
President's Office | |||||||||
President, CMLA (until 1976) and also in-charge of꞉
| 6 November 1975 | 21 April 1977 | |||||||
President (acting), CMLA and also in-charge of꞉
| Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman | 21 April 1977 | 12 June 1978 | ||||||
Special Assistant to the President (until 1977) Vice-president (since 1977) and also in-charge of: | 27 November 1975 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Women's Affairs Assistant to the President (until 1977) Women's Affairs Adviser to the President (since 1977) | 13 April 1976 | 29 June 1978 |
The following lists the advisers of the interim government: [1] [31]
Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Advisers to the Interim Government | |||||||||
Deputy CMLA (until 1976) CMLA (since 1976) and also in-charge of Establishment Division Adviser for꞉ | Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman | 8 November 1975 | 21 April 1977 | ||||||
Adviser for Communications | R.ADM. M. H. Khan [lower-alpha 1] | 8 November 1975 | 9 December 1977 | ||||||
Adviser for Power, Water Resources and Flood Control | R.ADM. M. H. Khan [lower-alpha 1] | 8 November 1975 | 9 December 1977 | ||||||
9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Education | 26 November 1975 | 22 June 1977 | |||||||
22 June 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Jute | 26 November 1975 | 5 August 1977 | |||||||
5 August 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Land Administration and Land Reform | 26 November 1975 | 9 December 1977 | |||||||
9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Public Works and Urban Development | 26 November 1975 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Planning | 26 November 1975 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Health and Population Control | 4 December 1975 | 8 December 1977 | |||||||
9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Relief and Rehabilitation | 4 December 1975 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Industries | 23 January 1976 | 10 July 1977 | |||||||
10 July 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Manpower Development, Labour and Social Welfare | 18 June 1976 | 8 December 1977 | |||||||
9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Agriculture and Forest | 18 June 1976 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Petroleum (and Mineral Resources since 1977) | A.V.M. A. G. Mahmud [lower-alpha 1] | 6 September 1976 | 12 July 1977 | ||||||
12 July 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Food | A.V.M. A. G. Mahmud [lower-alpha 1] | 6 September 1976 | 14 July 1977 | ||||||
14 July 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Civil Aviation and Tourism | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Information and Broadcasting | 18 September 1976 | 12 October 1977 | |||||||
12 October 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||||
Adviser for Commerce | 27 December 1976 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Foreign Affairs | 25 March 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Textiles | 28 June 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Railways, Roads, Bridges and Road Transport | Maj. Gen. M. Majid-ul-Haque | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | ||||||
Adviser for Ports, Shipping and Inland Water Transport | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Deputy Adviser for Home Affairs | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Deputy Adviser for Agriculture and Forest | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Adviser for Posts, Telegraph and Telephone | 30 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 | |||||||
Deputy Adviser for Health and Population Control | 13 April 1978 | 29 June 1978 |
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