The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) has urged the BNP to withdraw its nationwide indefinite transport blockade to maintain the upward trend in export earnings.
BKMEA President AKM Selim Osman in a statement on Saturday urged the party to call off the blockade to allow the country’s development and the expansion of Bangladeshi knitwear exports to new markets.
He also called upon the political parties to refrain from enforcing violent programmes such as strikes and blockades in future.
The development of the readymade garment and knitwear factories had foundered due to political unrest, he said.
He said political violence during programmes like blockades or strikes were hindering the knitwear industry’s growth in new markets.
“And, now, unwanted violence is pushing back development initiatives just when we began benefit from the growth. Under these circumstances, the 7.3 percent GDP growth goal won’t be achieved. It’s a matter of concern now whether we’ll reach the 6.5 percent GDP growth.”
Bangladesh’s average knitwear export growth rate in new markets such as Australia, Japan, Turkey, Russia, China, South Africa, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, India and Brazil was 17 percent in the 2013-14 financial year, said Selim Osman in the statement.
“But the latest political unrest is hindering knitwear export to these new markets and putting the export process at grave risk.”
Source: bdnews24
Why BNP? Ask Hasina please! BNP led 20 Party opposition showed maximum restraint (for last 12 months) for a peaceful settlement of the current political deadlock by dialogue in order to hold an election that is acceptable to the most of the people. The government in power didn’t only show a cold shoulder to this popular demand, they also undermined and ridiculed this legitimate and popular demand. Therefore, this mandate-less government will have to take all responsibilities from now on if anything goes wrong and any inconvenience created to the citizens of this country.
The country and economy may lead into a catastrophic collapse if the movement intensifies. This might also lead into an all out guerrilla warfare like our war of liberation throughout nine months of 1971 if government fails to understand people’s sentiment about a free and fair democratic election and peaceful transition of power to the winning party elected by the people. Awami League’s immoral and anti-people hardline indicates that results cannot be achieved without crippling everything. Please note that the guerrilla warfare of our liberation war continued even on Eid days.
The trade organizations are syndicates. They always align themselves with the powerful party. FBCCI and all other trade organizations now are Awami supporters. Their leaders have somehow benefited from the current rulers and must sing their songs. Why do they keep quiet when the voting on January 5, 2014 was railroaded? They nicely kept quiet when the warning signs were up. If they genuinely care about Bangladesh, they should tell Hasina to have a fair election under a credible election commissioner who has no conflict of interest with either parties. Am I saying something complicated? You business people have to realize, you are also part of this nation and have a duty. Duty to uphold fairness. Because this is what will get you to the wrong side one day if you do not stand up and support fairness.
These plundering BKMEA members love Hasina because they both are engaged in the same business and help each other – they are both engaged in the business of sucking blood of the nation. Democracy in its truest form is a threat to them and that is why they both have joined hands to destroy the democracy restoration movement of the opposition. These heyanas must be stopped before they devour the entire nation.