Anwar Hossain Manju
Encyclopedia
Anwar Hossain Manju was born on January 1, 1946 in what is now the Pirojpur District
of Bangladesh
. Hossain has served a lifetime of positions in the government of Bangladesh. He was the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resource of Bangladesh from 1985 to 1988 under Hossain Mohammad Ershad
. As Energy Minister, Hossain's achievements include the augmentation of energy generation from 700 to 2,500 megawatts, and the launching of the major public works project of the Jamuna Bridge
. Hossain acquired the cooperation and appreciation of the World Bank
, Asian Development Bank
and other donors (including France
, Japan
, Germany
, and Great Britain
) to successfully implement the allotted amount of aid given to the country. Hossain then served as Minister of Communications
(1988–1990) for Ershad's government.
Hossain was a vocal opponent of Ershad's introduction of religious references to the Constitution of Bangladesh
. He objected to the declaration of Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh and warned that such an assault on secularism constitutes a slippery slope that would erode Bangladesh's successes as a progressive society.
From 1996 to 2001, Hossain served as Minister of Communications (1996–2001) in Sheikh Hasina
's government. Hossain negotiated Jatiya Party's extension of support to Sheikh Hasina's party, the Awami League, to form a national government. This Communications Ministry holds the public works portfolio. His achievements include the completion of Jamuna Bridge, a multipurpose bridge connecting 64-districts and 480 sub-districts (thanas) to its capital, Dhaka
. As Communications Minister, Anwar Hossain laid the foundations for a complete road network, designed to reduce the number of ferry stops that were necessary to cross the river arteries of Bangladesh. He was also instrumental in laying the foundation for the first railway to travel from Bangladesh to Kolkata.
Hossain's public service also include positions in the Legislative Branch of Government. He served as Member of Parliament in Bangladesh for five consecutive terms. He was elected five times to Parliament in 1986, 1988, 1991, 1996, and 2001 to represent the Bhandaria-Kaukhali constituency in the district of Pirojpur in the National Parliament. The mandate of the last Parliament expired in 2006, putting into place a caretaker government (CTG).
In the aftermath of the January 2007 military intervention suspended the constitutionally mandated elections and extended the authority of the Caretaker Government (CTG), Hossain was targeted together with many other political figures. Hossain's residence was raided with no warrant shown. Facing what he was convinced of being a smear campaign, he left Bangladesh and arrived to Washington DC in May 2007. The Anti Corruption Committee (ACC) opened a number of cases against Hossain. He denied all allegations. The US Department of State Human Rights Report for 2007 raises the possibility of a political motivation behind the accusations. 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Upon the restoration of Constitutional Rights in the fall of 2008, Hossain returned to Dhaka and faced the charges filed against him and successfully appealed a conviction in absentia for the possession of alcohol brought to his daughter's wedding by foreign guests. On August 23, 2010 the High Court overturned the last of the trial courts verdicts which had sentenced Hossain on the basis of ACC accusations. "High Court Overturns another Manju Jail Term" The New Age. August 24, 2010. Dhaka, Bangladesh Today, Hossain's assertions of no wrongdoing and insistence on pursuing the legal course are thus completely vindicated.
Prior to entering politics, Hossain was one of the most successful men in the media business of Bangladesh. He served as Editor and Publisher of the Daily Ittefaq from 1972 to 2007. The Daily Ittefaq is the first Bangla vernacular newspaper founded by Hossain's father, Tofazzel Hossain (Manik Mia). Following an agreement with the other shareholders of Ittefaq, Anwar Hossain assumed the position of Editor and Publisher in July 2010. Manju gets back Ittefaq publisher post. The Daily Star. July 8, 2010. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Hossain is Chairman of Jatiya Party (JP-Manju). Hossain led the faction of the Jatiya Party that rejected the 1994 decision of the Party leader Ershad to align the Party with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh National Party (BNP). He was a Presidium Member of Jatiya Party (1986–1994). Hossain was the Vice President of the Student League, which was the nationwide campus membership of Awami League during his tenure at University of Dhaka
.
Hossain is also a businessman. His enterprise positions include Founder
, the Aegis Holdings Group, a leader in diversified manufacturing and service interests in Bangladesh. Hossain is also Chairman of the Board, MAST Packaging Ltd. & Zenith Packaging Ltd., one of the most prominent packaging firms in Bangladesh with an international clientele including the British American Tobacco Company.
Hossain is a graduate of the University of Dhaka where he completed his Honors in Geography
with Physics
& Mathematics
. He pursued further studies in International Relations
at Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
Hossain is married and has 4 daughters and also has 5 grandsons and 1 granddaughter.
Pirojpur District
Pirojpur is a district in South-western Bangladesh. It is a part of the Barisal Division.-Name:Myth exist that, second son of Shah Shuja, Firoz Shah died in this area and in honour of him, the area started to being calld 'Firozpur'....
of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Hossain has served a lifetime of positions in the government of Bangladesh. He was the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resource of Bangladesh from 1985 to 1988 under Hossain Mohammad Ershad
Hossain Mohammad Ershad
Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad is a Bangladeshi politician who was President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990. Previously, he was Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army and then Chief Martial Law Administrator in 1982....
. As Energy Minister, Hossain's achievements include the augmentation of energy generation from 700 to 2,500 megawatts, and the launching of the major public works project of the Jamuna Bridge
Jamuna Bridge
Bangabandhu Bridge, also called the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge , is a bridge opened in Bangladesh in June 1998. It connects Bhuapur on the Jamuna River's east bank to Sirajganj on its west bank. It was the 11th longest bridge in the world when constructed in 1998 and currently the 6th longest...
. Hossain acquired the cooperation and appreciation of the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
and other donors (including France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
) to successfully implement the allotted amount of aid given to the country. Hossain then served as Minister of Communications
Minister of Communications
The Communications Minister of Pakistan heads the Ministry of Communications. He serves in the cabinet of the Prime Minister. The Minister is required to be a member of Parliament.-List of Communications Ministers of Pakistan:-See also:...
(1988–1990) for Ershad's government.
Hossain was a vocal opponent of Ershad's introduction of religious references to the Constitution of Bangladesh
Constitution of Bangladesh
The Constitution of Bangladesh is the supreme law of Bangladesh. It declares Bangladesh as a secular democratic republic where sovereignty belongs to the people; and lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles of the state and spells out the fundamental rights of citizens...
. He objected to the declaration of Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh and warned that such an assault on secularism constitutes a slippery slope that would erode Bangladesh's successes as a progressive society.
From 1996 to 2001, Hossain served as Minister of Communications (1996–2001) in Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
's government. Hossain negotiated Jatiya Party's extension of support to Sheikh Hasina's party, the Awami League, to form a national government. This Communications Ministry holds the public works portfolio. His achievements include the completion of Jamuna Bridge, a multipurpose bridge connecting 64-districts and 480 sub-districts (thanas) to its capital, Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. As Communications Minister, Anwar Hossain laid the foundations for a complete road network, designed to reduce the number of ferry stops that were necessary to cross the river arteries of Bangladesh. He was also instrumental in laying the foundation for the first railway to travel from Bangladesh to Kolkata.
Hossain's public service also include positions in the Legislative Branch of Government. He served as Member of Parliament in Bangladesh for five consecutive terms. He was elected five times to Parliament in 1986, 1988, 1991, 1996, and 2001 to represent the Bhandaria-Kaukhali constituency in the district of Pirojpur in the National Parliament. The mandate of the last Parliament expired in 2006, putting into place a caretaker government (CTG).
In the aftermath of the January 2007 military intervention suspended the constitutionally mandated elections and extended the authority of the Caretaker Government (CTG), Hossain was targeted together with many other political figures. Hossain's residence was raided with no warrant shown. Facing what he was convinced of being a smear campaign, he left Bangladesh and arrived to Washington DC in May 2007. The Anti Corruption Committee (ACC) opened a number of cases against Hossain. He denied all allegations. The US Department of State Human Rights Report for 2007 raises the possibility of a political motivation behind the accusations. 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Upon the restoration of Constitutional Rights in the fall of 2008, Hossain returned to Dhaka and faced the charges filed against him and successfully appealed a conviction in absentia for the possession of alcohol brought to his daughter's wedding by foreign guests. On August 23, 2010 the High Court overturned the last of the trial courts verdicts which had sentenced Hossain on the basis of ACC accusations. "High Court Overturns another Manju Jail Term" The New Age. August 24, 2010. Dhaka, Bangladesh Today, Hossain's assertions of no wrongdoing and insistence on pursuing the legal course are thus completely vindicated.
Prior to entering politics, Hossain was one of the most successful men in the media business of Bangladesh. He served as Editor and Publisher of the Daily Ittefaq from 1972 to 2007. The Daily Ittefaq is the first Bangla vernacular newspaper founded by Hossain's father, Tofazzel Hossain (Manik Mia). Following an agreement with the other shareholders of Ittefaq, Anwar Hossain assumed the position of Editor and Publisher in July 2010. Manju gets back Ittefaq publisher post. The Daily Star. July 8, 2010. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Hossain is Chairman of Jatiya Party (JP-Manju). Hossain led the faction of the Jatiya Party that rejected the 1994 decision of the Party leader Ershad to align the Party with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh National Party (BNP). He was a Presidium Member of Jatiya Party (1986–1994). Hossain was the Vice President of the Student League, which was the nationwide campus membership of Awami League during his tenure at University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
.
Hossain is also a businessman. His enterprise positions include Founder
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, the Aegis Holdings Group, a leader in diversified manufacturing and service interests in Bangladesh. Hossain is also Chairman of the Board, MAST Packaging Ltd. & Zenith Packaging Ltd., one of the most prominent packaging firms in Bangladesh with an international clientele including the British American Tobacco Company.
Hossain is a graduate of the University of Dhaka where he completed his Honors in Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
with Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
& Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. He pursued further studies in International Relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Hossain is married and has 4 daughters and also has 5 grandsons and 1 granddaughter.