Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Garments entrepreneurs have protested the BGMEA’s move to select its leadership without any election for at least two terms.
They termed the process as “unfair and undemocratic”, saying such move only will raise questions about
accountability and transparency of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Apart from this, the country’s largest export sector’s trade body will also fall in image crisis as its office-bearers will not be elected in a democratic way rather they will be selected through hectic lobbying and forming an unholy nexus.
“BGMEA is going to run by unelected leadership for at least next two terms without holding election which is undemocratic. The process is also not fair,” a former BGMEA president told The New Nation yesterday on condition of anonymity.
He said that being the country’s largest export sector’s trade body, BGMEA should be made a democratic institution and election is crucial to make it happen.
“The decision of selecting next BGMEA leaders was taken to serve interest of a ‘vested quarter’ which could be suicidal for the sector,” he said. When asked, he said, I represent one of the two contesting groups, and as my group agreed with the process I did not raise the voice against it.
Earlier, the two groups-Sammilito Parishad and Forum-that compete for its leadership, in a meeting on June 25 last came to a mutual consensus that they would select the office-bearers for next two terms.All former presidents of BGMEA from both the groups were present in the meeting.
The meeting formed a joint Board comprising BGMEA’s present and all former presidents to pick its leaders through selection. “It is an independent industry (RMG) and we are part of it. The industry is turning into a highly efficient and globally accepted one and we are part of it. Such development will finally come from lots of free ideas, independent thoughts and vision from our leaders,” said former BGMEA Vice-President M Harun-Ar-Rashid.
He added that free ideas, developing thoughts and intelligence from the leaders will help our industry to compete in the global arena.
But such a leadership without election, he said, will lack freedom, independent thoughts and intelligence, therefore, harming the long-term development of the industry.
Protesting the move, Harun-Ar-Rashid said, the way in which BGMEA is going to select its next leaders is meaning the leadership would be imposed by a vested group for their interest not for the industry. “Our leaders should be made through election not selection”. “The trade body should be run democratically and the visionary leaders of it should be picked up through holding elections in regular basis,” he said, adding, “The selected or imposed leaders may not be the right persons to lead the trade body or the industry. They may be good for themselves or for the vested group.”
He also alleged that the selection process snatching voting rights of the general members will go against the existing law of the trade bodies. When asked, he said, BGMEA president candidate has bought the whole process from his fear that he may not win the electoral race. Expressing utter frustration over the issue, another garment entrepreneur said that the former presidents cannot impose the leadership. We want to choose our leadership freely through election. “General members were enthusiastically participated in all the previous elections by using their voting rights. But this time, our former leaders is going to snatch the rights by selecting the next office bearers of BGMEA,” he added.
He also said that elections are the system to hold leaders accountable. If they sit in the office of BGMEA without election, they may not show much interest on the general rather serve the vested interest group. “They apparently formed a nexus themselves to accomplish a narrow mission which will harm the future development of the trade body as well as the sector,” he opined. He also sought the concerned Ministry’s intervention to prevent the move as well as establishing voting rights of the garment entrepreneurs.
