Top business leaders on Monday voiced deep concern over the confrontational politics and said it has become a threat to the country’s development prospect.
The business community urged the ruling and opposition parties to stay away from all political activities that are counter-productive.
“We appeal to the government and the opposition to abandon confrontation and start dialogue immediately. It’ll save the country’s economy and people’s well-being from dislocation,” they said in a joint statement.
The signatories to the statement are Mahbubur Rahman, president of International Chamber of Commerce-Bangladesh; Maj Gen (retd) Amjad Khan Chowdhury, president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Asif Ibrahim, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Murshed Murad Ibrahim, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Md Fazlul Hoque, president of Bangladesh Employers’ Federation; and Syed Ershad Ahmed, president of Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The business leaders called upon all the political parties to uphold the country’s interest first and refrain from such activities which seriously affect the economic growth and prospect of the country.
“At this time when Bangladesh is showing the favorable signs of sustained economic growth, the stable political environment is of crucial importance to achieve our higher socioeconomic objectives as a nation,” the statement said.
Unfortunately, the statement said, the recent political situation worsened with hartal and blockade calls by different interest groups as they do not want the continuation of business activities to go unhindered.
“We still remember the dark days of the past when frequent hartals for extended periods had kept the economy standstill. Hartals will make our economy decelerate…our markets will shift to other countries where more stable political climate exists. We need to avoid this situation by all means.”
The statement further said, “What our nation needs most at this time is commitment from our politicians to the cause of the common people, and their pledge to make the nation free from poverty and create employment opportunity for all.”
The business community also acknowledges that there is no alternative to keeping the democratic process alive and making the democratic institutions stronger as the key factor for inclusive socioeconomic growth in a functioning democracy, difference of opinion may exist, it said.
However, there are other means to settle the differences other than hartals and politics of damage and suppression, it added.
“The business community feels that the current political situation can be made more people-friendly and business-friendly if the ruling and opposition parties demonstrate tolerance and are willing to settle their differences through dialogues and negotiations.”
The business community has learnt from reliable sources that due to recent unfortunate development in the country, the readymade garment buyers in North America are already diverting export orders to other countries and a consumer group movement boycotting “Made in Bangladesh” products is taking shape there.
Source: The Daily Star
