The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Saturday received a new president and senior vice president, following SM Mannan Kochi’s recent resignation from the presidential position.
Designtex Group Managing Director Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, who has been performing as senior vice president from April 8, has been elected as the president of BGMEA for the rest of 2024-26 tenure.
In an emergency meeting held at a hotel in Dhaka, the BGMEA board also elected Team Group Managing Director Abdullah Hil Rakib and Urmi Group Managing Director Asif Ashraf as its senior vice president and vice president, respectively.
SM Mannan Kochi, who was elected as the BGMEA president on March 14 for the 2024-26 tenure, resigned on Saturday citing personal reasons and his illness. He however will continue as a director on the board.
The resignation of Kochi, who is also the general secretary of the Dhaka North City Awami League, followed the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government amid a mass uprising earlier this month.
On 20 August, the Forum – the panel that lost the election months ago – called for the dissolution of the current board and the establishment of an interim committee to oversee a free, fair, and credible election for the trade body.
In a letter to the commerce ministry, the panel alleged that the BGMEA election held in February this year was marred by irregularities and was heavily influenced by the then Hasina government.
The panel leaders also alleged that Kochi had close ties with the deposed premier and was involved in carrying out attacks on students during their movement in July and August. After the change in political landscape, he has gone into hiding.
Following the ouster of the Awami League government on August 5, several cases, including one for murder, have been filed against Kochi.
However, previously speaking to The Business Post, Kochi denied any involvement in the violence, saying that he has been in Singapore for his son's treatment since August 4.
