Businessmen don't want hartals, blockades

Expressing grave concern over the on-going blockade programme being enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalists Party (BNP), country's businessmen on Wednesday said that they do not want such programme which destroys the trade, commerce and country's economy, rather they want to do business.

Businessmen came up with such observations at the national export trophy distribution ceremony held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Wednesday.

Speaking as the event’s special guest, Mahbubul Alam, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said, "We the businessmen don't want hartals and blockades. We want to do business.”

He said the business community thinks that the economy of the country could fall under threat due to the on-going blockade. "We're being affected for such programmes," he added.

Noting that the cost of transportation of goods has increased due to the on-going blockade, the chief of the country's apex trade body said, "The transport cost of one truck or van from Dhaka to Chattogram is around Tk 17,000, but due to the on-going political programmes, this cost has been doubled to Tk 32,000. This additional cost is draining out the traders' pockets and hence we're being affected."

Mahbubul Alam said that the FBCCI has already called for shunning the on-going destructive political programmes by the opposition.

AK Azad, former president of FBCCI, and owner of the country's highest exporting industry, strongly criticised the on-going political programmes by the opposition such as hartals, blockades and vandalism since these are damaging the economy.

The business community should protest such misdeeds, he said urging the current FBCCI president to unite the businessmen and traders and thus wage a strong protest against such destructive acts by the miscreants.

The FBCCI President said that the businessmen have given a lot to the country over the last 50 years.

He mentioned that if there is a healthy and peaceful environment for doing business in the country, the businessmen will move the country forward.

Following their rally in the capital on October 28, the BNP-Jamaat nexus has resorted to arson, vandalism, torching of vehicles as well as public and private properties in the name of hartals and blockades.