‘Achieving sustainable export growth is our first priority’

‘Exporters are now facing a tougher situation than any time before and it is not easy for its members to enjoy the apex trade body’s facilities amid such a situation,’ said Surma Garments Ltd Director Faisal Samad, a presidential candidate in the upcoming BGMEA Election 2024-26, in an interview with The Business Post’s Arifur Rahaman Tuhin.

What will you do if elected president of BGMEA?

If I am elected president of BGMEA, I will remove the apex body’s bureaucratic tangles and lobby the government as well as brands and buyers to achieve sustainable export growth.

While announcing the manifesto, you claimed that there are 429 false voters and the election board of BGMEA did not consider your appeal despite submission of all evidence. Amid such a situation, how will you and your panel win the victory in the March 9 polls while you are already behind by over 400 votes?

Our members know very well what is happening over the BGMEA polls. We filed an appeal to the BGMEA Election Appeal Board and the names of 67 voters have already been dropped from the voter list because of fraud. We applied to the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Arbitration Tribunal on January 31 to take steps against the rest of the 429 voters, but they did not take any action at all. Even though the High Court delivered the judgment in our favour, the Chamber Court rejected this. Now we want to keep faith in our general members, and they know who the best person to serve their purpose is. I believe that our voters will cast their vote for our panel in protest against all irregularities in the upcoming polls. 

When you have already been deprived of the election board [as per your opinion] to ensure justice, do you believe that the board is capable of holding a free, fair and participatory election?

This is a good question. Many members believe that the election board is not capable or has the right to hold a free, fair and participatory election. But we, both panels, believe that they would hold a neutral election to retain the BGMEA’s reputation. If they do not ensure a level playing field, we will not tolerate this. I believe that our members would not accept the election results. As we are working with the international community, they would also observe the election deeply.

In your manifesto, you said that you would remove bureaucratic tangles from BGMEA. Would you please explain what it means?

We conducted a survey and our members participated in it. They claimed that BGMEA services are not easy right now. They are facing harassment regularly, like in some government offices. To get service, they have to go from one table to another, he said citing the survey. I want to break the barriers.

You are also a part of the existing board. Even, you were also senior vice president on the immediate past board, and your panel also led the BGMEA. What did you do for your members?

You know that the BGMEA is a president-led apex body. I, however, tried my level best. When we were in power, I can challenge that BGMEA services were easier than those of other boards. Besides, during the Rubana Haq board, where I was also senior vice president, we closely worked with customs, the central bank and other stakeholders. We were able to secure Tk 5,000 crore in cash incentives during the pandemic situation, and later it was up to over Tk 8,000 crore. Thanks to our efforts, the government issued a maximum number of circulars during the period. I believe that our voters will consider this while casting their votes.

If voters consider your panel, what will be your first priority?

We already presented a manifesto to our voters and explained what we want to do. However, our key focus will be achieving sustainable export growth. You know that our exporters are not in a good position due to less work orders. The ongoing global economic headwind is one of the reasons. But honestly speaking, we are far behind in terms of innovations, adopting the latest technology, manufacturing high-value items, the energy crisis, and the interest rate compared to our competitors. We want to work on these areas. I have been directly involved with the BGMEA for over two decades and want to use my experience.

We have to understand that setting up a green factory is not enough to achieve sustainable export growth, research and innovations as well as the government’s policy support are most important. Our panel previously worked on these areas, and we want to continue. We do not want to be just BGMEA cardholder directors. We want to work for its members. 

You nominated many newcomers for your panel, and many known faces are absent. What is behind the change?

Previously, I said that what our panel wants to do and to achieve the goal, we need an experienced and fresh blood combination. Our senior leaders will work with the government and other stakeholders by using their experience, and young entrepreneurs will work out what should be adopted. Besides, we are preparing our new generations as future leaders. By inspiring this motto, we also nominated two small entrepreneurs for our panel, as we believe that the SME sector is a key driver in our industry as well as the country. This is the first time in BGMEA history.