The other option may be, as the envoy said, such cargo may be re-screening at a third international airport for security clearance but industry leaders fear it will just add new cost of shipment to lose export competitiveness to others. The fact is that our government is not quite concerned about our export competitiveness because it is repeatedly increasing the cost of gas and electricity and such other tax on business to enormously add to cost of doing business. The country’s export earnings witnessed a big dip last year and the recession continues when the new EU restrictions are not only poised to bring new setback to our exports but to add to other challenges.
Bangladesh has just overcome similar ban on direct air cargo flight last year by Australia, Britain and Germany. That time those countries had raised concern about poor security arrangement at Dhaka airport after the bloody terrorist attack at a Gulshan Restaurant. Since then the cargo screening at Dhaka airport has significantly improved and those governments have also removed the ban. Meanwhile, the government has also installed high tech bomb screening devices at the airport, besides hiring the service of a British firm to improve the system.
But it appears that when some existing security concerns were being resolved, European countries are taking other issues involving similar safety concern to take back every effort of our exporters to a new level of uncertainty What appears quite unacceptable is that they are unilaterally imposing such conditions without least consultation with Bangladesh government as valid partner of a global trading system They buy at low cost from Bangladesh and yet behaving like masters breaking normal rules of global business. Bangladesh exported $18.68 billion worth commodities to the EU in 2015-16. EU accounted for over 60 percent of garment export receipts last year.
The European envoy has said EU will send its security team for inspection when Dhaka will introduce necessary security equipment at the airport. Moreover, Bangladesh will have to get clearance certificate from the International Civil Aviation Organisation on successful setting up of explosive detection system. It just makes thing complex and costly to keep our business competitive in global market.
It is true that Western countries are facing new terrorist challenges, like the one in London early this week and such others in other UK cities and European capitals. So it is not unusual for them to be cautious. But we have also to accept our share of the blame. The government is quiet enthusiastic to find terrorism in the country and placing all sorts of restrictions on restaurants, hotels and movements to show it is fighting terrorism. So others may reasonably think Bangladesh is a terrorist country. In our view the government has to show efficiency of earning confidence of the international community.
