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Move was on to empower opposition

Star Report
Ahead of the December 2008 polls, a move was on to empower the opposition in the House by giving them some vital positions, including the deputy speaker's and chairs of some parliamentary committees, according to a number of leaked diplomatic dispatches.
Former adviser Major Gen (retd) MA Matin and US ambassador James F Moriarty at a meeting on November 6,2008 discussed about the move offering BNP some power in the ninth parliament should Awami League win a majority, perhaps the position of deputy speaker, said a cable posted on WikiLeaks.
Earlier on October 27, Moriarty wrote another cable that quoted the then AL acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and others as saying, AL's
election manifesto would include a number of measures to promote good governance and weaker the "winner-take-all" ethos, which is common in Bangladeshi politics.
On November 25, AL chief Sheikh Hasina announced if her party was voted to power, it would take initiatives, including requesting names from the opposition parties for the post of deputy speaker to make parliament effective.
The announcement came at a meeting with a UN election assessment team.
After AL-led grand alliance's landslide victory in the December 29 elections, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam at a meeting with Moriarty on January 20, 2009 also spoke about empowering the opposition parties in parliament.
Moriarty in another cable sent to Washington on January 21 wrote Asharf had stressed the importance of giving the rival BNP a meaningful role in the government even though the party won only about 10 percent of the parliament seats.
"He [Ashraf) said the BNP would get a number of committee chairmanships proportionate to its representation in the new Parliament, including leadership of some important committees," Moriarty said.
"Although he did not provide specifics, Ashraf noted opposition parties traditionally were offered the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee, which acts as the budget watchdog."
But the reality appeared different.
The ruling AL did not offer the deputy speaker post to the main opposition BNP in the ninth parliament that began its journey on January 25, 2009.
It also did not give chairs of important committees like the public accounts committee to BNP lawmakers. The BNP MPs were made chairmen of the two parliamentary standing committees on fisheries and livestock and environment and forest ministries.