Business leaders call for fearless environment

Dhaka, Sept 5 (bdnews24.com) – Businessmen Wednesday asked the government to ensure a fearless environment for businesses. They said bringing confidence back to the mind of the businessmen was important to rein in the soaring prices of essentials—a concern that irks the interim administration most. They also voiced concern over what they said was the government's excessive adherence to the prescriptions of lending agencies. They said they want to go home from the meeting with a sense of security that they would not be intimidated to do their business in future. Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and army chief General Moeen U Ahmed heard their views as the businessmen sat with the top brass of the government in the city's Radisson Water Garden hotel. FBCCI director MA Rouf Chowdhury said the businessmen can play a big role in curbing the prices of essentials. Former BGMEA president Annisul Huq said: "The businessmen are the backbone of the nation." "If they pass their days in a sense of panic, the economy can't perform well," he said. "We must bring back confidence in the businessmen to rein in the prices of essentials," he said. President of the International Chamber of Commence Mahbubur Rahman said it should not be that the conditions of the lending agencies such as IMF and the World Bank must be fulfilled without any scrutiny. "We have to look into our benefits before fulfilling their conditions," he said.