A group of BGMEA members on Wednesday expressed their no-confidence in the existing board of directors due to their controversial roles during the recent quota-reforms movement of the students.
In a memorandum, they claimed that the president of the current board, S M Mannan Kochi, opened fire on students during their protest on August 4.
The section of BGMEA members, led by former vice-president Faisal Samad, handed over the memorandum to the current leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at its headquarters at Uttara in the city.
Expressing no-confidence in the current board, they demanded immediate resignation and dissolution of the board and called for the appointment of an interim, honest, efficient, and non-political board.
"We are all aware that the current BGMEA President, S M Mannan Kochi, is also the general secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan North Awami League. It is very disheartening that Mr. Kochi opened fire on students at Mirpur-10 on August 4 with his own weapon," the members said in their memorandum.
They claimed that terrorists led by Mr. Kochi played a key role in suppressing and killing members of the ongoing anti-discrimination student movement in Uttara and Mirpur areas of the city.
The board and the president even did not issue a condolence, despite the deaths of hundreds of students and people during the movement, they noted.
As the current president and board acted in opposition to the historic student movement, they have lost the moral right to continue fulfilling their board responsibilities, the memorandum stated.
It also alleged that during BGMEA's 2024 election, Mr. Kochi and his party seized power through a farcical process involving armed cadre forces.
The memorandum accused Awami League MP Salam Murshedy, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, current Industry and Commerce Affairs Secretary Siddiqur Rahman, and Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam of shamefully participating in vote rigging with their respective forces.
The BGMEA board also failed to provide right direction on wage payments and other issues despite disruptions in export, production, banking, and port-related activities over the last three weeks, the BGMEA members said.
"No one dared to speak out due to fear of muscle power, despite the suppressed anger among the general members," the memorandum stated.
When asked, BGMEA Vice President Abdullah Hil Rakib confirmed that they had received a memorandum from a group of members.
He said that the board, in principle, had previously decided to implement reforms within the existing board and asserted that no new elections were necessary for this.
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