Business leaders in Bangladesh demanded immediate restoration of law and order amid reports of looting and burning of factories.
They also sought the adequate assistance from the army to ensure safety of their production units.
They also welcomed the proposed formation of a new interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus.
They were speaking at a press conference organized by the International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICC-B) on Wednesday at a hotel in the capital.
Mahbubur Rahman, president of the ICC-B, said that the students have had a historic achievement, however, miscreants have been wreaking havoc in various businesses and industries across the country for a few days.
“Such a situation cannot be accepted in any way and cannot continue. The failure to stop these miscreants will cause huge damage. Bangladesh has a good reputation as the RMG exporter in the global market,” he added.
“It should not be destroyed, we need law and order to be restored immediately to get the economy back on track. On behalf of all the business organizations of the country, their organization has organized this press conference,” he added.
“Businessmen always want proper policy and security to do business peacefully for the sake of the country’s economic development. We are not any concerned with the government change,” he added.
AK Azad, managing director of Ha-Meem Group said that the presidents of FBCCI and BGMEA are absent to speak on the current situation of business and economy so ICCB has taken the initiative.
The interim government that will come in is likely to take a few more days to fully begin operations, he went on saying that they (manufacturers and exporters) have to work by counting minutes.
“In the last few days, various factories have been vandalized, set on fire and looted. In this situation, we cannot run our factories,” he added, saying that in this situation, they strongly demand the implementation of four demands.
These are to normalize the law-and-order situation in the country as soon as possible, to take necessary steps to reopen factories, to ensure safety for the people's lives, and to activate police stations and the police.
He also said that they sought cooperation from the army to restore law and order and provide security to the factory. Last night he spoke to the army chief in this regard.
“Around 40 lakh people work in the garment industry. Many factories were burnt, vandalized recently, which is a loss for the businesses. Every day, buyers want to know about their product delivery but we could not ensure it due to the current situation in the country,” he added.
He also said that safety and security is crucial to operate factories and their main goal is to restore the economy.
Anwar-ul Alam Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) welcomed the Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus as the chief of the interim government.
“He is a respected person both nationally and globally and we expect that his global position will help us to restore the country’s image and gain the confidence of foreign buyers. If the country’s economy can see momentum, I think his work will be successful,” he added.
He also urged them to take proper initiative to avoid any damages at the business and economic establishments.
Earlier, in separate statements, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry also urged restoration of law and order and formation of an interim government immediately.
Country’s businesses witnessed major setbacks due to the country-wide student movement that started in mid-July.
Then on Monday afternoon, August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister amid nationwide protests, subsequently fleeing the country.
Later that day, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman addressed the nation, announcing that an interim government would soon be established.
On Tuesday afternoon, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament to make way for the formation of an interim administration.