MB Knit Fashion Managing Director Mohammad Hatem was elected as the new president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) following Salim Osman's resignation from his president and board director positions.
Hatem is one of the founders and initiators of the knitwear sector apex body, and serving as executive president post till elected as president. He is also the first member of the association and served six terms as vice president.
Ehsan served BKMEA as vice president for the last five years. Before that, he also served as director for several terms. Shamsuzzaman also served three terms as director of the association.
In an emergency board meeting on Sunday in the apex body Dhaka office, the BKMEA board also elected Fatullah Apparels Ltd Managing Director Fazlee Shamim and Micro Fibre Group Managing Director Engr Md Shamsuzzaman, as its executive president and vice president, respectively.
On the same day, Selim resigned citing personal reasons and illness, and he also joined the meeting virtually and announced his resignation.
In an instant reaction, Hatem told The Business Post, “I always fight for Bangladesh’s business, employment and corruption, and will continue these. Harassment from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) officials is a key issue, and I will hardly work to break their syndication.”
“We will also work with the government to resume talk with EU trade negotiations to continue preferential trade benefits in that trade zone,” he added.
The resignation of Selim, who was also a member of parliament from Narayangonj-5, follows the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government amid a mass uprising earlier this month.
He and his family have a strong tie-up with Hasina, and Salim’s youngest brother Shamim Osman, also a former lawmaker of the last three parliaments from Awami Ligue, is one of the most controversial politicians in the country. A murder case was filed against Shamim following a deadly student protest.
Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit froze Salim Osman’s bank account.
Selim Osman was elected as BGMEA president on 22 July 2010, and since that date, the apex body has not witnessed any competitive election at all. Almost all directorial posts and office bearers are nominated by him.
