BD Govt’s One-Year Extension To BGMEA Board Results In Outcry

Trade & Policy

BD Govt’s One-Year Extension To BGMEA Board Results In Outcry

There is a strong outcry over the extension granted to the current Board of Directors of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) for a period of one year by the Bangaldesh government. The voice of protest is coming from a group of apparel businessmen.

The businessmen have rallied themselves under the umbrella of a panel named Swadhinata Parishad. Calling for fresh elections, the panel has announced that it might be forced to resort to legal action unless its demands were met. The panel wants the immediate dissolution of the current board of directors paving way for fresh elections.

It’s not only traders and businessmen who are up in arms against the extension. There are some board members and BGMEA leaders too who support the call for holding elections. On condition of anonymity they said, “We are of the opinion that instead of granting the board another one year term, if fresh elections are held it will pave the way for an effective and new leadership.”

The cry for elections was endorsed by Mohamed Jahangir Alam, the convenor of the Swadhinata Parishad, at a recently held press conference. He informed the press that this was a crucial matter as currently the readymade garment (RMG) sector happens to be the key propeller of the Bangladesh economy. He further said, “BGMEA is an organization of the apparel owners. Now, it has turned into an ineffective and static organization due to its operation with an unelected leadership.”

“According to Jahangir, the extension of the current executive board is not legal because the time was extended by one year by the Department of Trade Organization (DTO), a Commerce Ministry wing, after the declaration of the election schedule by the BGMEA.

“If necessary we will go for legal actiMaon in the court so that the BGMEA becomes bound to hold election and the government cancels the extension,” he added.

The BGMEA comprises a 35 member board of directors for which elections are held every two years. The coming round of elections was slated to be held on March 7, 2018 as announced by the BGMEA election board in December. However, this move was preempted by the Bangladesh government on January 28 when it announced an extended tenure of one year for the existing board of directors.

Jahangir also supplied the government’s rationale behind the move stating, “From trusted sources, we came to know that the government has extended the tenure considering the issues of BGMEA building demolition, setting up of a wage board and the upcoming general elections.” He also countered these considerations and added, “I don’t think that these grounds hold true against the test of logical scrutiny. At least if elections are held a new and dynamic leadership will emerge and enhance our prospects of performance in the international arena.”

However, the current Presidnet of BGMEA, Abdus Salam Murshedy expressed his opinion in a statement to the local media that the extension was granted as a consequence of consensus among all the stakeholders and it would go a long way in serving the betterment of the RMG sector.