Analysis: Dhaka's reshuffle politics

The Bangladeshi president, Badruddoza Chowdhury, is the latest in what is now becoming a long list of distinguished public personalities who have resigned.

Earlier this month, the chief of the army, Lieutenant General Harun-ur Rashid, was sent into early retirement.

Soon afterwards, a number of middle-ranking naval officers were dismissed. The navy chief had been retired a few weeks earlier.

In April, the chief of the air force was sent home on premature retirement.

There have also been reshuffles in the civil service, and even university chancellors have been switched.

Personnel changes when a new government comes to power in Bangladesh are not uncommon.

Incoming administrations make no secret of their desire to reward public servants who have been loyal to them, and remove personalities who may be dissenters or allied to the opposition.

The four-party coalition of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been criticised more this time round, because she has such a huge majority in parliament.

Missing tribute

Critics say her power base is so strong that she should not need to make so many changes.

But both main parties in Bangladesh - the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League - have a tradition of not tolerating dissent.

That is the case even if dissent is perceived as coming from a president whose role was principally that of a ceremonial figurehead.

The revamp of the military command was attributed to the prime minister's desire to have senior military officers on her side, even though the army today shows little interest in assuming a political role.

Former President Chowdhury was removed because he appeared disrespectful by failing to attend a graveside ceremony of former President Ziaur Rahman on the anniversary of his death last month.

To make matters worse, the president was accused of adding to his misdemeanour by neglecting to pay tribute to him in a speech made on the death anniversary.

Uncertain replacement

Although it may seem innocuous, his action was highly upsetting to the prime minister.

President Zia was her husband, and she expects all members of the BNP to honour him as one of the country's paramount heroes in the war of independence against Pakistan.

In just the same way, Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League expects all members of her party to remember her dead father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as the father of the nation.

The president's downfall was swift and ignominious, with colleagues who had worked with him for more than 25 years turning against him.

But while his removal may have been easy for the government, and has not yet triggered a constitutional crisis, selecting his replacement will be harder.

Conspiracy theory

Dr Chowdhury was a former foreign minister and a founding father of the BNP.

He was a political heavyweight in a party that is almost totally dominated by the prime minister.

Despite the prime minister's dominance, it looks as if in-fighting within the BNP after the president's removal - rather than opposition from an enfeebled Awami League - could be the biggest obstacle to the government's progress.

Meanwhile, some members of the opposition suspect a hidden agenda in the president's removal.

They suspect that Khaleda Zia may want to change the country's constitution and enhance the powers of the president at the expense of parliament.

With over two-thirds of the seats in parliament, she has the power to make the changes.

Dissent disallowed

They argue that the real reason why Dr Chowdhury was removed was because it would be difficult to carry out these changes while he was still in office.

Although the opposition have produced little concrete evidence to support these claims, they are obviously worried about it.

Some political commentators argue this is the reason why the party is likely soon to end its boycott of parliament.

So, Bangladesh must now function for some time without a president, and with a prime minister who has never had so much power.

Khaleda Zia has a huge majority in parliament, armed forces whose most senior officers are her supporters and a civil service containing many of her party's appointees.

Even so, it appears that dissent will not be tolerated.