Business leaders on Saturday threatened to go for a tougher movement if the political parties fail to solve the ongoing political crisis within the next five days.
“If the political parties can’t reach a consensus within the next five days to solve the current political deadlock, the businesspeople and workers will be forced to take to the streets,” said M Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
He made the remarks in a human chain arranged by BGMEA along with the leaders of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) in front of BGMEA building in the capital’s Kawran Bazar area.
Atiqul also said the business houses would not be able to pay wages, overtime bills and bank loans if the current situation continues.
He said a joint white flag procession will be brought out by the businesspeople and workers across the country on December 15 demanding a consensus among the political parties.
Urging political parties to sit for a dialogue, he said, “We want to strengthen the economy by doing business in a hassle-free environment in the country.”
He also urged the opposition parties to keep all goods-laden vehicles and business institutions out of the purview of the political programmes.
Other business leaders also said that if the ongoing political crisis is not solved soon there will be no other alternative for the businessmen and the workers to take to the streets.
Even public opinion will go against the politicians if the political unrest continues, they said.
BKMEA acting president Mohammad Hatem, FBCCI vice president M Helal Uddin, former BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedi, among others, joined the human chain.
Source: UNBConnect
