It accuses FBCCI chief of political bias; businesses counter again saying 'strike very destructive to economy'

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday sharply rebuffed a request by business leaders that the opposition find alternatives to economically crippling dawn-to-dusk hartals.
Delwar accused AK Azad, the president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), of bias in the country's political affairs, including the highly partisan general strikes.
“The president of a business organisation like the FBCCI should not make any biased statement,” he said at a press conference at the party's central office in Naya Paltan.
The business community had suggested alternatives to hartal, such as public marches and demonstrations, could accommodate those who wish to vent their anger on the Awami League government.
The business leaders asked the opposition party to resolve disputes between the government and opposition through discussion.
The BNP has called a countrywide daylong hartal for November 30 to protest the government activities. It dismisses concerns of lost income during the shutdown as an issue for owners but not for workers and small independent workers.
“We did not expect anything else from him [Azad], as he is a 'nominated president' of FBCCI," said Delwar. "He is criticising hartal as his factory will be shut on hartal day, but he does not think about workers.”
Why, asked the BNP leader, did the business group not criticise the Awami League's 173 days of hartal during the BNP regime.
Azad said he never supported hartal programmes, as they damage the economy.
"Hartal hampers the flow of both home and overseas investment," Azad said. "We need more investment to create more employment. The opposition party should think of alternatives to hartal."
The FBCCI president said that the business community had the strength and capacity to stand against the BNP hartal, but later he said that it was his personal opinion.
He said the 2.7 crore unemployed people in the country need jobs and a hartal programme would hurt their employment prospects.
Other business leaders agreed.
"Hartal is very destructive to the economy," said M Anis Ud Dowla, president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "There are many ways to protest. Please do not call hartal."
Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said he opposes hartals as they harm the welfare of the people: "Both the opposition and the government can sit together to reach a consensus to resolve any problem. The opposition should think alternatives to hartal."
Habibur Rahman, acting president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the hartal day's thinning of the ranks of workers in factories hampers productivity.
"We hardly do any shipments in a hartal day due to the countrywide halting of business activities.
The ready-made garment manufacturers face more troubles as the sector is highly dependent on imports of raw materials," Rahman said. He urged the BNP to withdraw its hartal call.
The opposition party should find alternatives to hartal to keep the economy from harm, said A K Khan, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Abdul Hai Sarker, president of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, said the country should leave hartal culture behind. "We should work together," he said.
M A Salam, senior vice-president of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said hartals should be avoided because any kind of intimidating demonstrations will scare away investment and growth.
"In economy this is the age of private sector," Salam said. "We must keep up the beat of economic activity in the private sector."