Home ›› 17 Mar 2022 ›› Front
Disagreements between Shammilito Parishad and FORUM have surfaced after Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s (BGMEA) former president Rubana Huq stepped down from the board of directors.
Insiders said that the groups had been at loggerheads for quite some time and were trying to reach an understanding internally.
Disgruntled FORUM members even walked out of the BGMEA’s last meeting earlier this month, the first such instance since the organisation came into existence in 1983. This was prompted by the board’s decision to accept Rubana’s resignation and make Neela Hosna Ara from Parishad a board member.
Bangladesh’s thriving RMG sector employs millions of people, mostly women, and contributes most of the export earnings. In 2020-21 fiscal, the sector accounted for 81.16 per cent or $31.46 billion of the country’s total exports.
FORUM contested that the person who bagged the highest votes after Rubana should have been included in the board as per BGMEA tradition.
“FORUM candidate Anwar H Chowdhury, who received the 27th highest votes from Dhaka zone should have been included in the board but our appeal fell into deaf ears,” FORUM’s Secretary General Asif Ibrahim told The Business Post.
He urged everyone to rise above partisan politics and work in the greater interest of the RMG sector, noting that FORUM directors were always ready to fully cooperate with BGMEA President Faruque Hassan.
In the current BGMEA board, Parishad has 24 members (now 25) out of 35 directors.
Several board meeting participants said FORUM had urged the president not to accept Rubana’s resignation, considering her contribution to BGMEA. Hassan argued that a woman had been included in the board to replace Rubana.
“We’d have included her (Neela) even if she contested the polls from FORUM. Besides, the majority of directors also supported her inclusion,” Faruque said, adding that Rubana recommended Nafis-Ud-Doula as her replacement. “But he’s heading the RSC standing committee and that’s a huge responsibility.”
Rubana, the first woman to lead BGMEA, was appointed vice-chancellor of the Asian University for Women last month, succeeding noted political scientist Professor Nirmala Rao.
The BGMEA charter does not bar any director from holding any post at other organisations or institutions. It also does not specify a set of rules to fill the vacant director posts.
BGMEA President Faruque said he overlooked Rubana’s absence in all board meetings. “What can I do when she sends a written resignation letter and accepts an acknowledgement copy?” Faruque said.
‘Unprecedented’ work ongoing
Several directors from FORUM and Parishad panels said the current board’s performance was excellent in creating a global network for Bangladesh’s RMG sector. But there was not enough research-based work.
Several board members said the first six months were smooth but after that a small number of directors took control of BGMEA. “Now most directors do not have the opportunity to perform official tasks,” a Parishad member said.
BGMEA Director Faisal Samad said a lot needs to be done. “We will graduate from LDC in 2026 and we’re already into the fourth industrial revolution. We facing labour crisis but BGMEA is not concerned about it,” he told The Business Post.
He said that the board would work together in the past to overcome any crisis. “Despite our president’s best efforts, a few people control all activities and we lack coordination. How we will recover from the crisis?”
Another Parishad director said that a small group of directors always surround the president. “No one else is allowed there. This is the real scenario of BGMEA.”
President Faruque said the BGMEA distributed work among all directors. “Massive research and development works are ongoing in an unprecedented scale,” he told The Business Post. “These will take time to become visible.”
