Economic Reporter :
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is gearing up for the polls to elect their new leaders.
Candidates of the two panels-Sammilita Parishad and Forum – have begun campaigning after the voter list was finalised on Mar 4. The two panels are also preparing to introduce their candidates in events.
A total of 70 candidates from the panels will vie for the posts of 35 directors of the BGMEA, reports bdnews24.com.
Rivalry between the two camps has heightened with debates over the voter list and venues.
According to the schedule, the voting will be held at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden hotel and the BGMEA office in Chattogram from 10am to 5pm on Apr 4.
The final list has 1,853 voters from Dhaka and 461 from Chattogram.
ABM Shamsuddin, managing director of Hannan Group, is heading the Forum panel of current BGMEA President Rubana Huq, who is also contesting in the election from the same panel.
Shamsuddin alleged the Parishad panel was ruining the environment for fair elections by opposing the making of the voter list with biometric details and seeking to shift the venue from the Radisson hotel to the under-construction building of the association in Uttara.
“All these activities indicate that they have an ulterior motive behind the election,” he said.
He also alleged that the members of his rival panel were obsessed about becoming MPs or ministers instead of working for the industry.
“We want to focus on negotiations for the industry and the owners,” Shamsuddin said.
The voters can reach Rubana over phone anytime they need, but they will not lose this access if the president is elected from the Parishad, he added.
Jahangir Alam, managing director of the Design and Source, had formed a separate panel called Swadhinata Parishad before the 2019 election to the association, seeking to challenge the nomination of a president through compromise between the two main camps.
Jahangir had hinted at contesting in the election again this time, but finally decided to back the Sammilita Parishad, which has picked him as a candidate of their own.
