Fresh hartal call frustrates business leaders
Dhaka, Apr 28 (UNB) – Businesses on Saturday voiced deep frustrations over the call of another spell of hartal called by the BNP-led opposition allies saying that it will only paralyse the economy, discourage foreign investment and worsen the sufferings of people.
They said the prospect that Bangladesh still has to move ahead will be destroyed and the foreign investment to be diverted to other countries due to destructive political programmes like countrywide shutdown.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance on Saturday called countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday and Monday as the rescue of ‘disappeared’ BNP leader and former MP M Ilias Ali still remains elusive even after a series of action programmes.
“We’ve become hostage…the prospect that we have to move forward will be destroyed, investment will be diverted to other destinations…the politicians should understand it as they’ll run the country,” said FBCCI vice president Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu.
He went on: “We’ve nothing to do other than making appeal to the politicians. We again appeal to the political parties to refrain from enforcing hartal for the sake of the economy.”
“It (hartal) only inflicts sufferings on people and harms the economy. Someone may be benefited but the economy will bleed. Production in industrial units will be hampered; people will have to buy essentials at higher prices,” president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) AKM Salim Osman said.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) first vice president Nasir Uddin Chowdhury said they are already in trouble and the political programmes like hartal is putting the RMG (readymade) sector under stress.
“Who will compensate us? We invest in the greater interest of the country and generate employments. Why should we face such a trouble? We want politics of accountability,” he said.
He went on: “Foreign buyers are losing confidence on us, they’re now thinking twice of their future order due to the political instability. We call upon all the political parties not to go for hartal programmes for the sake of the economy, employment.”
The business leaders also said the entire business operation comes to a standstill when there is a shutdown.
They said the export-import process is greatly hampered, the supply chain of essentials and vegetables in domestic market are also hampered, pushing the prices of essentials up.
On April 24, all the major trade bodies at a press conference urged the political parties to refrain from calling hartal and look for alternative and nondestructive means to express discontent to help keep the wheel of the economy moving and relieve the nation of undue sufferings.
They said the prospect that Bangladesh still has to move ahead will be destroyed and the foreign investment to be diverted to other countries due to destructive political programmes like countrywide shutdown.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance on Saturday called countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday and Monday as the rescue of ‘disappeared’ BNP leader and former MP M Ilias Ali still remains elusive even after a series of action programmes.
“We’ve become hostage…the prospect that we have to move forward will be destroyed, investment will be diverted to other destinations…the politicians should understand it as they’ll run the country,” said FBCCI vice president Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu.
He went on: “We’ve nothing to do other than making appeal to the politicians. We again appeal to the political parties to refrain from enforcing hartal for the sake of the economy.”
“It (hartal) only inflicts sufferings on people and harms the economy. Someone may be benefited but the economy will bleed. Production in industrial units will be hampered; people will have to buy essentials at higher prices,” president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) AKM Salim Osman said.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) first vice president Nasir Uddin Chowdhury said they are already in trouble and the political programmes like hartal is putting the RMG (readymade) sector under stress.
“Who will compensate us? We invest in the greater interest of the country and generate employments. Why should we face such a trouble? We want politics of accountability,” he said.
He went on: “Foreign buyers are losing confidence on us, they’re now thinking twice of their future order due to the political instability. We call upon all the political parties not to go for hartal programmes for the sake of the economy, employment.”
The business leaders also said the entire business operation comes to a standstill when there is a shutdown.
They said the export-import process is greatly hampered, the supply chain of essentials and vegetables in domestic market are also hampered, pushing the prices of essentials up.
On April 24, all the major trade bodies at a press conference urged the political parties to refrain from calling hartal and look for alternative and nondestructive means to express discontent to help keep the wheel of the economy moving and relieve the nation of undue sufferings.
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