Business leaders, BNP emphasise deferment of LDC graduation for three years

Business leaders and BNP stalwarts emphasized deferment of Bangladesh's graduation from the LDC (least developed country) status for three years as the country and its business infrastructure are not ready yet.

"If we want to have the investment, trade and business uninterrupted in the future, then we have to suspend the LDC graduation right now," said BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

He made the remarks at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office in Dhaka after holding a meeting with the business representatives.

Eleven business leaders led by BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan and comprising Tapan Chowdhury, AK Azad and Syed Nasim Manzur met BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Amir Khosru. The statistics given earlier on LDC graduation were questionable, BNP leader Amir Khosru said, adding that the government should write to the UN explaining the readiness of Bangladesh for the graduation.

BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said, "We don't want to cancel LDC graduation. We want to have a three-year deferment of the graduation as we are not ready for it. And, the graduation proposal was based on falsified data. Furthermore, we don't have the infrastructure for the LDC graduation."

Business representatives hope that the issue will be raised with the UN during the upcoming visit by Chief Adviser Dr Mohammad Yunus and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Investors were waiting for the next election; Amir Khosru said, adding that everyone must work together to protect the economy.

All domestic and foreign businessmen wanted the election. All those who wanted to invest were waiting for the election. Because after the election, new investments would come to the country, said BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

Both the business leaders and the BNP stalwarts expressed concern over the trade union registration process.

The BGMEA president said that a trade union could be formed, only if 20 workers applied, and if something like it was implemented, the union would be misused.

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