Ctg businessmen demand resignation of CCCI Board
OUR CORRESPONDENT | Monday, 19 August 2024
CHATTOGRAM, Aug 18: A group of businessmen staged a demonstration in front of the World Trade Center (WTC) in the port city on Sunday demanding resignation of the board of directors of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI).
Under the banner of 'All Businessmen of Chattogram', several hundred businessmen gathered and held a human chain programme in front of the World Trade Centre at around 10:30am to express their grievances.
The protest was led by SM Nurul Hoque, former senior vice president of CCCI; Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, vice president of BGMEA; Habibur Rahman, former general secretary of BARBIDA; and CCCI members Zahurul Islam Alamgir, Abdul Mannan Rana, and Mahbub Rana.
They alleged that the CCCI, the country's oldest trade body with a history of over a century, has been held hostage by the board of directors over the past 16 years.
The board of directors has been formed without any election, making it a trade body of 'nepotism and corruption', they claimed.
They further alleged, "Instead of serving the business community, the CCCI has been serving the interests of the government and beneficiaries of the ousted autocratic regime. As a result, the businesses of the commercial capital have been destroyed."
To restore the glory of this prestigious trade body, the business leaders demanded immediate resignation of the existing board of directors.
They also called for an investigation into irregularities and corruption that have plagued the chamber for the last 16 years.
They urged the interim government to appoint an administrator to oversee the routine activities of the chamber until a new board of directors is elected through a free, fair, and participatory election.
Former senior vice president of CCCI SM Nurul Hoque told The Financial Express that CCCI, the oldest trade body in the country, has been dominated by a lawmaker and his supporters without elections for the last 15 years. "We demand a free and fair election to save the CCCI," he added.