A Catholic among ministers of new Bangladesh government

Dhaka, 15 January 2014: 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 previous 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 he 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.Source: Asianews