More than 200 garment exporters filed a memorandum to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Wednesday, calling for fundamental reforms within the trade association. They called for the dissolution of the current BGMEA board and the establishment of a new one as soon as practicable.
The members of the BGMEA have lost confidence in the current board as they failed to provide any specific instructions to improve the industry since being elected about seven months ago, they said.
The instability sparked by the student-led protests in July had an impact on export, import, production, and banking, culminating in Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister on 5th August.
Additionally, the BGMEA did not express condolences for the deaths of over 535 people, including students, amid the recent protests.
They alleged that the current board did not work to brighten the industry’s image at home or abroad. As a result, buyers are losing confidence, the BGMEA members said in a statement.
The statement also said some influential leaders of the Sammilito Parishad, which won the BGMEA elections in February this year, were involved in rigging the result.
Consequently, a group of general members cast a vote of no confidence in the current BGMEA board, said Faisal Samad, who led a panel called Forum in the elections.
“The current board could not improve the business situation even six months after being elected,” he added.
Acting BGMEA President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, who is also a senior vice-president of the trade body, said he received the memorandum and the issue would be discussed at a board meeting soon.
Islam said BGMEA President SM Mannan Kochi has not been very active in his duties amid the current spell of violence, leaving him to fill the role.
He informed that more than 200 general members came to the BGMEA office in the capital’s Uttara and began agitating during the submission of the memorandum.
Islam hoped they could solve this by consulting with the board and other leaders.
The garment sector, which accounts for more than 84 per cent of the country’s yearly exports, has been struggling as exporters face manufacturing and logistics issues.
The BGMEA previously stated that the internet outage and industry closures during the first phase of the student-led action resulted in losses of more than Taka 6,400 crore.
They are currently assessing the damages experienced during the second phase.
