Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Country’s business communities have expressed their deep concern over frequent general strike calls and requested the political parties concerned to call off Sunday’s countrywide daylong strike for the greater interest of the national economy.
They said Bangladesh is maintaining a stable economic growth and political stability is a must to continue the growth. “Such political activities like strike, generally known as hartal, only hamper the trade and business.”
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) — the country’s apex trade body—also urged the political parties to refrain from such suicidal political programs in future.
“Political stability is very important for the socio-economic development. But the business community can’t support creating anarchy and damaging general people’s lives and properties in the name of frequent hartals,” the FBCCI said in a statement.
Expressing deep concern over Sunday’s hartal and the recent loss of lives and property, the apex trade body said the business community rejects the hartal that is being enforced through terrorism.
The trade body strongly condemned the vandalism of various financial and business firms and arson attacks and requested the political parties to shun the path of such destructive acts.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) in a joint statement said the entrepreneurs become frustrated due to the frequent hartals called by different political parties.
They expressed their concern over the daylong hartal across the country on Sunday and daylong hartal in Chittagong on Monday.
“If such frequent hartal is called, it would not be possible to hold the existence of the largest employment generating sector,” the statement said.
Moreover, the foreign buyers and investors are interested to come to Bangladesh. But any political activity like hartal will discourage them which is also not acceptable in any way, it added.
BBN/SSR/AD-23Feb13-9:30 pm (BST)
