Abdul Latif Siddique Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Abdul Latif Siddique has finally been removed from cabinet and also from party’s presidium for making derogatory remarks on great Prophet (PBUH), hajj and Tablig Jamaat. President Abdul Hamid on Sunday terminated Latif Siddique as a minister as per the advice of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while the AL central working committee at its meeting in the evening expelled him from the party presidium. His primary membership was also suspended. Prime Minister and party president presided over the working committee meeting. Earlier, the cabinet division published a gazette Sunday noon about his removal from the cabinet. The gazette notification said that the appointment of Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Minister Abdul Latif Siddique has been terminated as a minister as per sub-section (GA) of section 58 (1) of the constitution. The gazette also mentioned that the termination will come into effect immediately. Talking to journalists, Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said that the President has taken the decision as he (President) was satisfied with the advice of the Prime Minister in this regard. Bhuiyan also said that the Posts, Telecommunications and ICT ministry will remain under Prime Minister as per the rules of business until a new minister is appointed. Meanwhile, the Awami League central working committee sat in a meeting Sunday evening with Sheikh Hasina in the chair apparently to decide the fate of Latif Siddique. Speaking at the meeting, Sheikh Hasina said the government has been compelled to remove Latif Siddique from the cabinet for making derogatory remarks on Prophet (PBUH), hajj and Tablig Jamaat. “He (Latif) has committed a heinous offence. When the government was arranging hajj management efficiently, someone from the party made such derogatory remarks. It is in no way acceptable,” she added. The Prime Minister further said “I do not know why he has done it. But it is a heinous offence. I met the President today and the government has followed the constitutional way to remove a minister from the cabinet.” After deliberation over an hour, the AL central working committee decided the fate of Latif Siddique. After the meeting, AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam briefed the journalists. He said Abdul Latif Siddique has been removed from the presidium of Bangladesh Awami League for violating the constitution of the country and making statement against the party constitution and principles. Syed Ashraf further said Latif Siddique has also been suspended from the primary membership of the party. “According to the provision of the party constitution, it has been decided at the meeting to serve a show-cause notice returnable within 7 days asking Latif Siddique to explain why he will not be expelled finally from the party for violating the constitution of both country and the party and hurting the religious sentiment of the people,” Syed Ashraf further said. He mentioned that Latif Siddique may also lose his parliamentary seat if he is finally expelled from the primary membership of the party. The Show-cause notice will be sent to his address today (Monday). Sources said Hasina at the closed-door meeting sought opinions on Latif Siddique, who had opposed her leadership in the 1980s but strongly backed her during the regime of the army-backed caretaker government in 2007. Senior leaders, including Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Matia Chowdhury, Sahara Khatun, Mohammad Nasim, Mosharraf Hossain, Satish Chandra Roy, Obaidul Quader, Abdul Matin Khasru, Munnujan Sufian, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Dipankar Talukder and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya also spoke. They all proposed for Latif’s removal from the party’s presidium post. Many proposed that legal action be taken against him. Referring to Latif’s latest remarks and activities, AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam proposed that the meeting remove him from the presidium post. The meeting took the decision unanimously. Latif Siddique faced the disastrous consequence for making derogatory remarks on religious issues at a view-exchange meeting of Tangail Samity at a party center in New York on September 29. In that event, Latif Siddiqui said, “I do not know much mathematics...Mohammad (SM), son of Abdullah, was a very clever and wise person. He saw that the Jazirahtul Arab [the Arabian Peninsula] could not produce any crop; so what will they do for a living? That was why he made an arrangement so that people, especially his followers, would go there and give them something.” He also said, “During hajj, so much manpower is wasted. Over 20 lakh people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj. They have no work, no production and they only cause deduction.” “Some 20 lakh Tablig Jamaat people get together annually who do not do any work except halting traffic movement across the country,” he added. About PM’s son, Latif Siddique also said, “Who is Joy? He is no one of Bangladesh government. He can give advice but it is the government that will take decisions.” The remarks sparked a serious controversy at home and abroad. Demanding trial of Siddique, some Islamic parties asked the government to arrest Siddque by October 15 or they would enforce hartal on October 26. Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jatiya Party, Hefazat-e-Islam and many other socio-political organisations censured the remarks of Siddique. Jatiya Party chairman Hussain Muhammd Ershad, a key ally of the ruling Awami League, demanded the government to arrest Latif while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party asked the government to sack him from the cabinet and put him on the dock or it would wage movement after the two major festivals of the Muslims and Hindus. Several cases have been filed against Siddique for making such derogatory remarks while courts issued summons in several cases. Even, the ruling AL leaders including Sheikh Hasina heavily criticised Siddique for his indecent remarks. Immediately after Siddique’s remarks, the Prime Minister took decision to remove him from cabinet along with taking tough organisational steps. But, the process was delayed as the President and Cabinet Secretary were in Saudi Arabia for performing hajj. Addressing a press conference on October 3, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the process of removal of Abdul Latif Siddique from the cabinet and also from the party is underway. While replying to a question at the press briefing at her official residence Ganobhaban on her recent US visit to attend the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Prime Minister said Latif Siddique has to pay the price for hurting the religious sentiments of the people. “I will do what I have said. I will not keep him in the cabinet and he will not be there in the party position,” she said. On Saturday, Latif’s younger brother Kader Siddique, in a press conference, also requested his elder brother to seek pardon publicly for indecent remarks. Many think that the government has taken stern steps against Latif Siddique due to his recent derogatory remarks and allegations of past corruption. Mysteriously enough, sources said, knowing fully well this possible consequence, Latif Siddique deliberately made the derogatory remarks on the Prophet (PBUH), Hajj and Tablig Jamaat. But why? According to some sources, he did this deliberately to get political asylum in a foreign country showing that he is insecure in his own country. Latif Siddique allegedly committed a series of misdeeds including financial irregularities and corruption involving huge money during the previous regime of AL as Jute Minister. He sold and handed over illegally properties of jute ministry to derive alleged personal benefits. When all these started to come to light through media, the Prime Minister’s office initiated investigations into the allegations which are in progress now. According to some sources, as soon as the PMO investigation began Latif Siddique realised well that he had fallen from the grace of the Prime Minister and there is none to protect him. It was at that time and due to this realisation that he decided to leave for abroad and ultimately seek asylum to evade arrest and punishment at home. The invitation to receive an international ICT award and becoming a member of PM’s entourage to UN provided an apparent escape route for him and he availed himself of the opportunity.
No comments:
Post a Comment