GSP suspension a temporary matter

MAGURA, May 12: US envoy Dan Mozena said the suspension of GSP (generalised system of preferences) facility of Bangladesh is not a permanent matter. Bangladesh may get back the facility as the government is now conscious about the ILO (International Labour Organisation) standards.
The GSP facility is not the main factor for the progress of the readymade garment (RMG) industry. In near future Bangladesh will become the best garment exporting country in the world, he added.
Mozena made the above observations in a meeting with civil society members of Magura during his visit here Monday. The meeting was held at the conference room of the deputy commissioner of Magura with local MP M S Akber in the chair.
He said some unscrupulous traders are pushing back the RMG industry of Bangladesh. They should be bridled, because the garment industry is contributing a lot to the economy of the country.
The government as well as garment owners are now conscious about workers' rights and security. So there is no apprehension of occurrence of further tragedies like Rana Plaza or Tazreen Fashions. In 2010, there was no registered trade union (TU) in the country while the number of TUs is 150 at present, he said.
The US envoy said, "I had a desire to visit 64 districts of Bangladesh. This visit to Magura is the accomplishment of my desire. I expressed this desire to late President Zillur Rahman in 2012. I consider myself as the envoy of Bangladesh, not only as the envoy of Dhaka. By visiting all the districts of the country I shall be able to enrich myself with more information relating to Bangladesh."
His visit to Magura ended with the inspection of Magura Government Girls' High School. In his speech at the school Mozena told the students that the real Sonar Bangla can be built if they receive their education properly. He enjoyed a grand cultural show at the school performed by its students.