JS body to place bill to cap cabinet size at 35
Staff Correspondent
A parliamentary standing committee yesterday decided to place a constitution amendment bill before the House aimed at fixing the size of the cabinet at not more than 35. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Private Members Bills and Resolutions yesterday discussed the bill submitted to it by Jatiya Party lawmaker GM Quader. The amendment bill proposes that the size of the cabinet should not exceed one-tenth of the seats in the Jatiya Sangsad. Both ruling and opposition lawmakers agreed at the meeting to recommend to the House for the passage of the bill. According to the rules of procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad, the speaker will include the bill in the order of the day. At yesterday's meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, opposition Awami League (AL) lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction as the speaker did not include several amendment bills to the constitution in the day's order. AL lawmaker and member of the committee AKM Jahangir Hossain threatened to resign from the parliamentary body if the speaker did not allow introduction of the bills to the House. The parliamentary body decided that chairman of the committee would communicate with Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar for placement of the bill. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia set up a 60-member jumbo cabinet that drew criticism from different quarters. Later, a few members were dropped, but the size of the cabinet still remains over 50. Different donor agencies are still insisting that the government downsize the cabinet. Talking to The Daily Star Jatiya Party lawmaker GM Quader said the cabinet should have a specific number of members just as parliament has a fixed number of lawmakers. "Downsizing the cabinet will help reduce the cost of the government," he said. If the speaker allows Quader to place the bill, then it will be sent to the standing committee on law ministry for scrutiny. Mozammel Haque, chairman of the committee, presided over the meeting. BNP lawmaker Nazir Hossain, Awami League lawmakers Shawkat Ali and AKM Jahangir Hossain, Jatiya Party lawmaker Dr TIM Fazle Rabbi Chowdhury and Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Abdus Sobhan were present at the meeting. The meeting also adopted a censure motion on the August 21 grenade attack on an opposition rally and expressed deep shock at the killings.
| 
