Albrecht Conze, German ambassador, speaks at a press briefing at The Westin Dhaka yesterday, when six foreign chambers in the country issued a joint statement on the political situation and RMG sector of Bangladesh. :
Six leading foreign chambers in Bangladesh have joined hands to condemn the ongoing political violence in the name of hartal.
“The chambers are pleased that Bangladesh is by constitution a secular country. Unfortunately, the political turmoil is harming the business potential and the image of the country,” they said in a joint statement yesterday.
The country should maintain its secularism, they said.
The shutdowns are discouraging foreign investors and that would ultimately have a negative impact on the economy, they said at a press briefing at The Westin Dhaka.
The statement was issued in the wake of political violence and continuous shutdowns called by the opposition parties.
The chambers are Bangladesh German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dutch-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The reaction to the recent incidents in Bangladesh’s garment industry is enormous in Europe, said Albrecht Conze, the German ambassador.
The country should take steps to face this image crisis, Conze said. “Stop talking. It’s time for action.”
Bangladesh’s growth is declining in many sectors, said Carel Richter, chargé d’affaires of the Netherlands’ embassy.
Europe would like to buy more from Bangladesh if there are successful efforts to reverse the current situation, Richter said.
The country has come to this stage by hard work of the entrepreneurs and common people, said Sakhawat Abu Khair, president of Bangladesh German Chamber.
If the western companies now shift their orders from here and venture into some other countries, Bangladesh will eventually receive those as sub-orders, he said.
But that will make the labour even cheaper and the factories will become less-compliant, Khair said.
He urged the foreign investors to help Bangladesh get rid of the crisis with suggestions.
Md Saiful Islam, an adviser to Bangladesh German Chamber, blamed the recent disasters in the garment sector on negligence.
The government should hold a fair and meaningful election, which will get both international and local acceptance, Islam said.
“Bangladesh is a people’s republic and we have a rich heritage,” said Syed Nurul Islam, president of Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber.
If French buyers shift their orders from Bangladesh, it would create unemployment, said Humayun Rashid, president of France Bangladesh Chamber.
Arild Klokkerhaug, founding president of Nordic Chamber; Shahzada Hamid, president of Dutch-Bangladesh Chamber, and Hiroyuki Watabe, vice president of Japan-Bangladesh Chamber, were also present.
Source: The Daily Star
