To protest violent politics, businessmen on Sunday took to the streets all over the country but surprisingly they made the interest waiver issue and long term rescheduling of their bank loans at the center of their demands. It is indeed true that the nationwide blockade and frequent hartals — now through its 5th week, as imposed by the BNP-led 20-party opposition in demand for mid-term elections, has brought trade and commerce to the brink of disaster. The economy is on the plunge. All people including the business community rejects this destructive politics, they want immediate resolution of the crisis which can only be achieved through dialogue and by holding a free fair election that the Prime Minister herself had promised earlier before the January 5 flawed elections. When businessmen took to the streets to protest violence, they were expected to ask the government to hold new elections to end the crisis and to ask BNP to end the blockade. Election is a common norm in a democracy and a way to decide who should run the government and who should sit in the opposition. Any partisan attempt to avoid the main issue is an attempt to escape the root cause of the crisis. In our view the business community has apparently failed to make an effective campaign in the street to make their case clear under the cover of partisan politics. We feel that it is high time they must exert influence to bring an autocratic government and a defiant opposition to the table to end the crisis. It is important not only to save the economy and business but also to save innocent lives in the streets. News reports said quoting some chamber leaders that they have asked the government to ban blockade and shutdowns by enacting laws if this situation doesn’t improve. This is one sided argument and not a solution.Our modern businessmen should have known that politics must be faced politically, and not using the police, and if the business leaders have a role to play, they must advice the government to give democratic space to the opposition to bring them out of the streets and back to the democratic process. Arresting the opposition leaders and killing their workers extra-judicially is not business supportive, least to speak of maintaining peace for economic growth. Moreover, their call on the government to give waiver on bank interest and long term rescheduling of loans was viewed by many as an attempt to realise unjust benefits taking a pro-establishment stance during a devastating political crisis. We urge the business community to shun their sectoral interest at the moment and urge both sides to seek political solution. Businessmen cannot remain indifferent about what is good for the people while expecting everything about what is good for the business.
