Wikileaks: Sheikh Hasina's Inner Circle: Loyal To The Core
Date 26Feb, 2009-- -Dhaka US Embassy Cable
Date 26Feb, 2009-- -Dhaka US Embassy Cable
Hasina's Adviors Gowher Rizvi particularly involved in Indo-Bangladesh issues. Rizvi formerly served as the Ford Foundation representative in India and has longstanding ties with Indian government officials.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina relies on a small circle of trusted relatives, family friends, and time-tested devoted advisers while sidelining individuals she perceives as disloyal. Hasina's sister and son who reside abroad, are among her closest confidantes. Hasina also relies on longtime faithful party members, including Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and President Zillur Rahman to offer counsel and support. .
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
¶1. (C) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina relies on a small circle
of trusted relatives, family friends, and time-tested devoted
advisers while sidelining individuals she perceives as
disloyal. Hasina's sister and son who reside abroad, are
among her closest confidantes. Hasina also relies on longtime
faithful party members, including Agriculture Minister Matia
Chowdhury and President Zillur Rahman to offer counsel and
support. Hasina's election promises to usher in political
change, as well as her desire to groom a new generation of
party leaders, probably prompted her nomination of Foreign
Minister Dipu Moni and State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel
Taj, both up-and-comers. Ultimately, however, Hasina trusts
close family relations to carry out her most sensitive
agendas.
-------------------
FAMILY TIES ARE KEY
¶2. (C) Hasina trusts and depends on her younger sister Sheikh
Rehana, who lives in London, and her son, Sajeeb "Joy" Wazed,
who lives in Washington, DC, as trusted confidantes. Hasina
probably relies more on Rehana for advice relating to
Bangladesh,s political climate because her son,s time in
the US has made him "too American to understand Bangladesh,"
according to a senior Awami League official. Hasina has
sought and heeded Rehana,s counsel on political nominees in
the past. Both Rehana and Joy work to advance Hasina,s
political goals. During Hasina,s incarceration under the
Caretaker Government, they were the only intermediaries she
trusted to represent her views to the Caretaker Government.
Rehana has participated in high-level party meetings and
traveled to Bangladesh to help Hasina campaign. Joy, who has
not given up on a political career of his own, is working in
the private sector to advance one of the Awami League,s
campaign initiatives, "digital Bangladesh."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶3. (C) Hasina depends on Retired Major General Tariq Ahmed
Siddique for his military expertise and trusts him based on
his loyalty and his relationship with her family. Siddique,
whose brother is married to Rehana, has a long history as
part of Hasina,s family, including acting at times as a
surrogate father for Sajeeb, which is partially what inspires
Hasina,s trust. Siddique is a cabinet-level Adviser who
influences military and security issues. Siddique served as
Hasina,s former security chief and she recently charged him
with researching establishing a National Security Council.
--------------
LOYAL ADVISERS
¶4. (C) Hasina considers Syed Ashraful "Ashraf" Islam a loyal
Awami League member. She has entrusted him with the Local
Government Ministry portfolio, partially to reward him for
holding the fractured Awami League together as acting General
Secretary while she was imprisoned during the Caretaker
Government. Ashraf also was a key interlocutor with the
military Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI),
which played an active role in negotiating Bangladesh's
return to democracy during the Caretaker Government. Ashraf's
father was one of four leaders killed in the "jail killings"
at Dhaka Central Jail in November 1975. He spent many years
in the UK, where he also developed a close relationship with
Sheikh Rehana. Ashraf was one of the few top Awami League
leaders to be chosen for Hasina's cabinet and frequently
attends high-level meetings with her. Ashraf is a
long-serving Awami League member who served as party
spokesman and was involved in student politics. The Local
Government Ministry is a key portfolio responsible for more
than 25 percent of the national budget.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶5. (C) Hasina selected Matia Chowdhury to be Agriculture
Minister because of her reputation for being loyal and
uncorrupt as well as for her strong track record of
government service. She had experience in Bangladesh,s
agricultural sector, having served as Minister of Agriculture
and Food and Agriculture Secretary for past Awami League
governments. She is the only Presidium member to be chosen
for a cabinet level post, reflecting her status as a trusted
adviser. As a woman in a Muslim country, Chowdhury has access
to Hasina that her male colleagues lack. During the February
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny (REFTEL A), Hasina entrusted
Chowdhury to negotiate with the mutineers to secure the
release of families confined to their homes on the BDR
compound. Hasina probably relies on Chowdhury for advice on
matters related to her portfolio and women,s issues.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶6. (C) A trusted adviser, H.T. Imam rose to prominence when
Hasina appointed him co-chair of the Awami League,s election
steering committee. His recent appointment as Adviser to the
Prime Minister was seen as a reward for his key role in
helping the party prepare for the 2008 elections. Imam's
family's loyalty to the Awami League contributes to Hasina's
trust; his son,s friendship with former DGFI Director
General Golam Mohammad provided a link to the military during
the state of emergency. His nephew is a USAID Foreign Service
Officer. Hasina has recently charged Imam with leading a
special cell to address Bangladesh,s energy problems and
implement development projects. A former senior civil
servant, Imam advises Hasina on nominations to civilian
government posts, according to a US military official. Imam
has a reputation for being corrupt.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶7. (C) Hasina,s nomination of Zillur Rahman for the
Presidency was likely in deference to the octogenarian,s
years of party service and his relationship with Hasina,s
father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whom he served as Awami League
Secretary General. Rahman faithfully served as the Awami
League President after Hasina,s July 2007 arrest. His wife,
Ivy Rahman, who was President of the AL Women,s Wing and
Secretary of Women,s Affairs for the Awami League, was
killed in a grenade attack targeted against Hasina at an
Awami League rally in 2004. Rahman has a close relationship
with Hasina,s family and his wife's nephew is married to
Rehana.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶8. (C) Gowher Rizvi is a longtime confidante of both Hasina
and Rehana. He has also been a mentor to Joy. Before taking
up his current position as Vice Provost for International
Programs at the University of Virginia, Rizvi was head of the
Ash Institute at Harvard,s Kennedy School of Government
(KSG). He was instrumental in gaining admission for Joy at
the KSG. (Joy recently graduated with a master,s degree in
Public Policy.) Gowher also arranged for Army Chief of Staff
General Moeen Uddin Ahmed to address students at Harvard in
the fall of 2007. During that visit, Moeen met with Joy,
beginning the discussions that eventually led to Hasina,s
release. Rizvi was present when Caretaker Advisers Ghulam
Quader and Hossain Zillur Rahman met with Hasina and Rehana
in Washington during the summer of 2008 as the negotiations
entered their final phase. He continues to advise Hasina on
security issues and is particularly involved in
Indo-Bangladesh issues. Rizvi formerly served as the Ford
Foundation representative in India and has longstanding ties
with Indian government officials.
-------------------------------
AWAMI LEAGUE,S RISING STARS
¶9. (C) Dipu Moni, a first-time minister, and the first female
Foreign Minister, is a rising leader in the Awami League.
Chosen for the post for her loyalty, extensive
qualifications, and relative youth, her selection
demonstrated Hasina's commitment to reforming the Awami
League. Moni is a physician, lawyer, and public servant, and
has party credentials as daughter of a founding member of the
Awami League. Moni is on the foreign affairs sub-committee of
the Awami League. (COMMENT: Hasina relies on her for foreign
policy expertise. Because of her freshman status, we expect
her influence does not extend beyond her portfolio. END
COMMENT).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶10. (C) Sohel Taj, State Minister for Home Affairs, is 39
years old. He represents Hasina,s campaign vision of
"change" but also has strong connections to Hasina,s family.
Taj is close to Hasina,s son, Joy. Taj's late father,
Tajuddin Ahmed, was Bangladesh,s first Prime Minister and
one of four leaders killed in the 1975 "jail killings."
Taj,s mother, Zohra Tajuddin, is a member of the Awami
League Presidium. Hasina entrusts Taj to attend high-level
meetings where few other government officials are present.
While Taj has limited GOB experience, he has the potential to
become a party leader. Based on indications thus far, Hasina
depends on him to handle day-to-day issues at the Home
Ministry. His reach may be broader because the Home Minister
is not very conversant in the substance of the Ministry.
---------------------
SNUBBING THE DISLOYAL
¶11. (C) Hasina has sidelined party leaders and Presidium
members not steadfastly loyal to her throughout her recent
incarceration. When Hasina was in prison, senior Awami League
leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, and
Suranjit Sengupta attemped to gain control of the party and
force Hasina to step down as party leader. While they remain
members of the Presidium, they no longer represent a
political threat. Hasina has also neutralized Saber Hossain
Chowdhury, former political secretary, and former Awami
League Publicity Secretary Asaduzzaman Noor. Both senior
leaders were once very close to Hasina but they consorted
with DGFI during the state of emergency. It appears they have
been cut off from access to Hasina and have been relegated to
seats on the opposition,s side of Parliament.
-------
COMMENT
¶12. (C) Hasina's choice of advisers illustrates that personal
loyalty is of utmost importance to the Prime Minister, even
outranking experience. As the newly formed government faces
its early challenges, loyalty to Hasina might not be
sufficient for these officials to realize her vision for
Bangladesh. As new ministers and advisers learn the ropes,
the government will also need to put in place decision making
structures. While she was elected with a landslide, Hasina's
ability to repeat her victory in five years will depend on
the government's performance.
MORIARTY
END
http://newsfrombangladesh.net/view.php?hidRecord=364900
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
¶1. (C) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina relies on a small circle
of trusted relatives, family friends, and time-tested devoted
advisers while sidelining individuals she perceives as
disloyal. Hasina's sister and son who reside abroad, are
among her closest confidantes. Hasina also relies on longtime
faithful party members, including Agriculture Minister Matia
Chowdhury and President Zillur Rahman to offer counsel and
support. Hasina's election promises to usher in political
change, as well as her desire to groom a new generation of
party leaders, probably prompted her nomination of Foreign
Minister Dipu Moni and State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel
Taj, both up-and-comers. Ultimately, however, Hasina trusts
close family relations to carry out her most sensitive
agendas.
-------------------
FAMILY TIES ARE KEY
¶2. (C) Hasina trusts and depends on her younger sister Sheikh
Rehana, who lives in London, and her son, Sajeeb "Joy" Wazed,
who lives in Washington, DC, as trusted confidantes. Hasina
probably relies more on Rehana for advice relating to
Bangladesh,s political climate because her son,s time in
the US has made him "too American to understand Bangladesh,"
according to a senior Awami League official. Hasina has
sought and heeded Rehana,s counsel on political nominees in
the past. Both Rehana and Joy work to advance Hasina,s
political goals. During Hasina,s incarceration under the
Caretaker Government, they were the only intermediaries she
trusted to represent her views to the Caretaker Government.
Rehana has participated in high-level party meetings and
traveled to Bangladesh to help Hasina campaign. Joy, who has
not given up on a political career of his own, is working in
the private sector to advance one of the Awami League,s
campaign initiatives, "digital Bangladesh."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶3. (C) Hasina depends on Retired Major General Tariq Ahmed
Siddique for his military expertise and trusts him based on
his loyalty and his relationship with her family. Siddique,
whose brother is married to Rehana, has a long history as
part of Hasina,s family, including acting at times as a
surrogate father for Sajeeb, which is partially what inspires
Hasina,s trust. Siddique is a cabinet-level Adviser who
influences military and security issues. Siddique served as
Hasina,s former security chief and she recently charged him
with researching establishing a National Security Council.
--------------
LOYAL ADVISERS
¶4. (C) Hasina considers Syed Ashraful "Ashraf" Islam a loyal
Awami League member. She has entrusted him with the Local
Government Ministry portfolio, partially to reward him for
holding the fractured Awami League together as acting General
Secretary while she was imprisoned during the Caretaker
Government. Ashraf also was a key interlocutor with the
military Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI),
which played an active role in negotiating Bangladesh's
return to democracy during the Caretaker Government. Ashraf's
father was one of four leaders killed in the "jail killings"
at Dhaka Central Jail in November 1975. He spent many years
in the UK, where he also developed a close relationship with
Sheikh Rehana. Ashraf was one of the few top Awami League
leaders to be chosen for Hasina's cabinet and frequently
attends high-level meetings with her. Ashraf is a
long-serving Awami League member who served as party
spokesman and was involved in student politics. The Local
Government Ministry is a key portfolio responsible for more
than 25 percent of the national budget.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶5. (C) Hasina selected Matia Chowdhury to be Agriculture
Minister because of her reputation for being loyal and
uncorrupt as well as for her strong track record of
government service. She had experience in Bangladesh,s
agricultural sector, having served as Minister of Agriculture
and Food and Agriculture Secretary for past Awami League
governments. She is the only Presidium member to be chosen
for a cabinet level post, reflecting her status as a trusted
adviser. As a woman in a Muslim country, Chowdhury has access
to Hasina that her male colleagues lack. During the February
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny (REFTEL A), Hasina entrusted
Chowdhury to negotiate with the mutineers to secure the
release of families confined to their homes on the BDR
compound. Hasina probably relies on Chowdhury for advice on
matters related to her portfolio and women,s issues.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶6. (C) A trusted adviser, H.T. Imam rose to prominence when
Hasina appointed him co-chair of the Awami League,s election
steering committee. His recent appointment as Adviser to the
Prime Minister was seen as a reward for his key role in
helping the party prepare for the 2008 elections. Imam's
family's loyalty to the Awami League contributes to Hasina's
trust; his son,s friendship with former DGFI Director
General Golam Mohammad provided a link to the military during
the state of emergency. His nephew is a USAID Foreign Service
Officer. Hasina has recently charged Imam with leading a
special cell to address Bangladesh,s energy problems and
implement development projects. A former senior civil
servant, Imam advises Hasina on nominations to civilian
government posts, according to a US military official. Imam
has a reputation for being corrupt.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶7. (C) Hasina,s nomination of Zillur Rahman for the
Presidency was likely in deference to the octogenarian,s
years of party service and his relationship with Hasina,s
father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whom he served as Awami League
Secretary General. Rahman faithfully served as the Awami
League President after Hasina,s July 2007 arrest. His wife,
Ivy Rahman, who was President of the AL Women,s Wing and
Secretary of Women,s Affairs for the Awami League, was
killed in a grenade attack targeted against Hasina at an
Awami League rally in 2004. Rahman has a close relationship
with Hasina,s family and his wife's nephew is married to
Rehana.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶8. (C) Gowher Rizvi is a longtime confidante of both Hasina
and Rehana. He has also been a mentor to Joy. Before taking
up his current position as Vice Provost for International
Programs at the University of Virginia, Rizvi was head of the
Ash Institute at Harvard,s Kennedy School of Government
(KSG). He was instrumental in gaining admission for Joy at
the KSG. (Joy recently graduated with a master,s degree in
Public Policy.) Gowher also arranged for Army Chief of Staff
General Moeen Uddin Ahmed to address students at Harvard in
the fall of 2007. During that visit, Moeen met with Joy,
beginning the discussions that eventually led to Hasina,s
release. Rizvi was present when Caretaker Advisers Ghulam
Quader and Hossain Zillur Rahman met with Hasina and Rehana
in Washington during the summer of 2008 as the negotiations
entered their final phase. He continues to advise Hasina on
security issues and is particularly involved in
Indo-Bangladesh issues. Rizvi formerly served as the Ford
Foundation representative in India and has longstanding ties
with Indian government officials.
-------------------------------
AWAMI LEAGUE,S RISING STARS
¶9. (C) Dipu Moni, a first-time minister, and the first female
Foreign Minister, is a rising leader in the Awami League.
Chosen for the post for her loyalty, extensive
qualifications, and relative youth, her selection
demonstrated Hasina's commitment to reforming the Awami
League. Moni is a physician, lawyer, and public servant, and
has party credentials as daughter of a founding member of the
Awami League. Moni is on the foreign affairs sub-committee of
the Awami League. (COMMENT: Hasina relies on her for foreign
policy expertise. Because of her freshman status, we expect
her influence does not extend beyond her portfolio. END
COMMENT).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¶10. (C) Sohel Taj, State Minister for Home Affairs, is 39
years old. He represents Hasina,s campaign vision of
"change" but also has strong connections to Hasina,s family.
Taj is close to Hasina,s son, Joy. Taj's late father,
Tajuddin Ahmed, was Bangladesh,s first Prime Minister and
one of four leaders killed in the 1975 "jail killings."
Taj,s mother, Zohra Tajuddin, is a member of the Awami
League Presidium. Hasina entrusts Taj to attend high-level
meetings where few other government officials are present.
While Taj has limited GOB experience, he has the potential to
become a party leader. Based on indications thus far, Hasina
depends on him to handle day-to-day issues at the Home
Ministry. His reach may be broader because the Home Minister
is not very conversant in the substance of the Ministry.
---------------------
SNUBBING THE DISLOYAL
¶11. (C) Hasina has sidelined party leaders and Presidium
members not steadfastly loyal to her throughout her recent
incarceration. When Hasina was in prison, senior Awami League
leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, and
Suranjit Sengupta attemped to gain control of the party and
force Hasina to step down as party leader. While they remain
members of the Presidium, they no longer represent a
political threat. Hasina has also neutralized Saber Hossain
Chowdhury, former political secretary, and former Awami
League Publicity Secretary Asaduzzaman Noor. Both senior
leaders were once very close to Hasina but they consorted
with DGFI during the state of emergency. It appears they have
been cut off from access to Hasina and have been relegated to
seats on the opposition,s side of Parliament.
-------
COMMENT
¶12. (C) Hasina's choice of advisers illustrates that personal
loyalty is of utmost importance to the Prime Minister, even
outranking experience. As the newly formed government faces
its early challenges, loyalty to Hasina might not be
sufficient for these officials to realize her vision for
Bangladesh. As new ministers and advisers learn the ropes,
the government will also need to put in place decision making
structures. While she was elected with a landslide, Hasina's
ability to repeat her victory in five years will depend on
the government's performance.
MORIARTY
END
http://newsfrombangladesh.net/view.php?hidRecord=364900
__._,_.___