Competency main focus

The Awami League will not give nomination to any candidate based on emotion, rather a competent person will get the party blessings for the election to the mayoral post of Dhaka North City Corporation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this at yesterday's cabinet meeting, held at the Prime Minister's Office.

The mayoral post of DNCC fell vacant following the death of Annisul Huq on November 30.

The cabinet also adopted a condolence motion at the death of the mayor. The premier then expressed her mindset about giving party nomination for the by-election, said sources.

The Election Commission said it was ready to hold a by-election to the mayoral post. As per the constitution, the by-polls have to take place within 90 days of the post becoming vacant.

The cabinet also thanked all those involved in the recent inclusion of traditional art of Shital Pati weaving of Sylhet in the Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity, said Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, at a briefing at Secretariat.

He said a proposal was placed at the cabinet to rename “Park Road” at Baridhara after Cambodia's late King Norodom Sihanouk.

During Hasina's visit to Cambodia, the two countries have decided to name “Park Road” in Dhaka's diplomatic zone after the Cambodia's late king and a road in Phnom Penh after the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The cabinet also approved the draft of the speech to be delivered by the president in the next year's first parliament session.

The speech would highlight nine subjects, including the overall situation of the country and the macroeconomic scenario, various programmes for the ICT sector's development and steps taken for the country's socio-economic development, said the cabinet secretary.