Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Among the 49 members of the new Parliament of Bangladesh, there is also a Catholic, Promod Mankin. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tipped him to head the Ministry for Welfare . In turn, the Prime Minister and Awami League leader (secular party) has taken charge of the Departments of Public Administration and Defense. The government was sworn in on January 12, in the presence of the President of the country, Abdul Hamid , and about a thousand people, including senior army officers, parliamentarians and foreign diplomats.
The local Catholic Church and Protestant leaders have congratulated Mankin who had already held the post of Minister for Social Welfare in past governments and, in recent months, of Culture. "We will pray for him - Nirmol Rozario , general secretary of the Bangladesh Christian Association told AsiaNews - so that it can be a good representative for the Christian community".
Meanwhile, there is no shortage
of criticism of the new government of Sheikh Hasina, formed after the "farcical"
elections on 5 January. Several
political analysts argue that the government will now have to face many
challenges, including obtaining the recognition of the international community
and solve the problems of public order. Some
countries - including the United States , Japan, Australia and Canada - have
already asked the prime minister to call new elections , with the participation
of all political parties .
Bangladesh
is a Muslim-majority country, where Islam is the state religion. Out
of a population of over 163 million people, only 0.4 % are Christian.