The country's business leaders and workers' organisations threatened Saturday to take to streets, unless steps are taken to end the existing political deadlock within the next couple of days.
The business leaders also decided to bring out a white flag procession on December 15 and threatened to announce tougher programmes, including besieging the Ganabhaban, the official residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the house of opposition leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, if no constructive and proper initiatives are taken by the top two political leaders to end sufferings caused to the businesses by the political impasse.
They urged both the two main political parties to shun the path of violence and confrontational politics for the sake of saving different sectors of business, including the ready-made garment (RMG).
The RMG sector is already passing through a tough time following the two industrial disasters-the Tazreen Fashions fire and the Rana Plaza collapse.
They made the warnings at a human chain programme organised by the country's three apex apparel bodies- Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) in front of the BGMEA office in the city's Karwan Bazar area.
The human chain was joined by leaders and members of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham), Exporters' Association of Bangladesh (EAB), Bangladesh Chamber of Industry (BCI), Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA) and pharmaceutical product manufacturers' association.
The human chain was also joined by representatives from all backward and forward linkage industries linked to the RMG sector, including yarn, dyeing, finishing, polybag, plastic and accessories, supporting institutions like banks and insurance companies and those involved with shipping, tourism, transportation, housing and ICT (information and communication) business as well as labour organisations.
Addressing the human chain, BGMEA President Md Atiqul Islam said: "We would be forced to take to the streets with all our four million workers if there is no political compromise on an end to the deadlock within the next three or four days."
"Don't force us to take such a strict move as we are the businessmen, not the politicians," he said. "We do business, create new jobs. Let us do our job. Don't do such politics that ruins the country's largest foreign currency earning sector," he added.
He raised a question as to who would take the responsibility of paying the workers' wages and overtime and the liability of bank loans, back-to-back L/C, insurance premium, additional charges at Chittagong port due to the delay and the abnormal hike in transportation costs following the political activities like hartals, strike and blockade.
"We won't take responsibility and liability of these," Mr Islam said demanding a congenial atmosphere for doing business. "Otherwise, give us an exit policy as many of the entrepreneurs may fail to run their business," he added.
Former BGMEA president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin said: "Don't dare to undermine our force. Ensure adequate security for business or quit politics."
Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, another former leader of BGMEA, explaining why they took to the street, said: "We don't want to see such bad politics. Come to a consensus or we along with all our factory workers will besiege your (PM and Opposition leader) offices and residences."
Echoing Mr Parvez, a leader of the country's shop owners' association, said a total of six million people-four million from the RMG sector and two million from his sector-will surround the official residences of the two top political leaders.
Former BGMEA president Mustafa Golam Kuddus called on the PM and the BNP Chairperson to take the responsibility of paying the workers' wages for the next three months, if they fail to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
The BGMEA chief, however, requested both the country's top political leaders to keep the export-oriented sector out of the purview of any political activities. He demanded a clear announcement to keep the Dhaka and Chittagong highways and trucks and covered vans carrying export products and other forward and backward linkage goods, out of the purview of any political activities.
He also called for summary trial of the culprits who were responsible for the arson attack on the Standard Group factory and stop recurrence of any such sabotage.
FBCCI Vice President Helal Uddin said the business community did not want to fall victim to confrontational politics and they would bring out a white flag procession on December 15 next protesting the ongoing political impasse.
Sirajul Islam Rony, Nazma Akter, among the labour leaders, also expressed their solidarity with the business leaders' move.
The leaders said the politicians should realise importance of the industry and if the industry was saved, the workers, economy and the country would be saved.
They also said they did not want to be victims of such confrontational politics and called for an end to stop such violence for the sake of the country and the economy.
The BGMEA said during the period from November to the first week of December the sector incurred losses to the tune of more than Tk 40 billion (Tk 4000 crore) for cancellations, air-shipments, discounts, deferred payment, abnormal hike in transportation costs and other disturbances.
"Only a day of blockade or hartal or strike caused losses to the tune of Tk 2.5 billion (Tk 250 crore) in the garment sector," BGMEA Vice President Md Shahidullah Azim said. From November to December 07 last the sector saw over 20 days of hartal, strike and blockades.
Many of the buyers were now shifting their orders to other countries like India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia following the political unrest fearing that the apparel makers in Bangladesh might not be able to make timely shipments, he said.
Citing the recent export data, Abdus Salam Murshedy, managing director of Envoy Group, said buyers also reduced the volume of orders in the recent months.
Explaining the worse situation, Mr Syed Sadek Ahmed, an entrepreneur, said a buyer made a booking for about 2.2 million pieces of apparel products while he finally placed orders for only 0.35 million pieces for the next season.
"During the last season, I supplied 2.2 million products for the same buyer," he said adding that an Australian buyer also cancelled his trip scheduled for December 13 due to the political turmoil.