Tarique Rahman moves key Bangladesh ministers. Performance reviews are driving changes.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has carried out his first cabinet reshuffle, targeting performance and coordination problems while signaling that ministers will remain under review, The Daily Star reported Sunday.

Government sources told the newspaper that another five to six people could be inducted during the final week of August as Rahman seeks to accelerate government work.

Biggest changes came at the information and broadcasting and civil aviation and tourism ministries.

Bangladesh Jatiya Party chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho replaced Zahir Uddin Swapon as information and broadcasting minister. Swapon resigned and was later appointed political adviser to the prime minister with the rank and privileges of a minister.

Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) sources cited dissatisfaction with the information ministry’s performance, implementation of directives, crisis communication, and internal coordination. They also pointed to weak coordination between Swapon and state minister Yasser Khan Choudhury.

Officials said government expectations for faster communication during the measles outbreak, the United States-Iran war, the resulting fuel crisis, and efforts to counter false information were considered in evaluating the ministry.

Afroza Khanam Rita was moved from civil aviation and tourism to the food ministry. Rashiduzzaman Millat, who had served as state minister under Rita for six months, was promoted to minister and given charge of civil aviation and tourism.

PMO sources said differences between Rita and Millat over working methods and ministry affairs had produced repeated coordination complaints.

Rahman inducted five new members Friday and elevated one state minister to full ministerial rank. His council of ministers now has 51 members, including the prime minister, with 28 ministers and 23 state ministers.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan was assigned the local government, rural development and cooperatives ministry following Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s election as president.

Humaiun Kobir, previously the prime minister’s foreign affairs adviser, was appointed state minister for foreign affairs alongside Shama Obaed Islam. Foreign minister Khalilur Rahman is scheduled to begin a one-year term as president of the 81st United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Sept. 8.

Shamim Kaiser Lincoln was appointed state minister for religious affairs, while Saching Prue Jerry became minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs.

Rashed Khan, the prime minister’s political assistant, said Rahman had planned a government review after 180 days.

“No one has been undervalued here. Whoever is skilled in a certain job has been brought there,” Khan said.

Former Jahangirnagar University professor Al Masud Hasanuzzaman said treating the reshuffle as a performance assessment could increase pressure on ministers who remained in office as well as those receiving new responsibilities.