The business community’s initiative to broker a dialogue between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia seems to have fallen flat as their concerns about political volatility and appeals for a peaceful solution have been treated with cold shoulder during their separate meetings with the two top leaders.
Their representatives came out of on Thursday’s meeting grim-faced, running out of steam they had during days of parleys for meeting the two leaders and persuading them into talks to end the stalemate that has been darkening the country’s business future.
Rather, after meeting the chiefs of the ruling Awami League and the main opposition BNP in a span of five days, they found the two leaders hardened their stances and positioned themselves worlds apart from a possible dialogue.
“I can foresee tough time ahead. We are still in the same place where we were before beginning to pursue political parties to reach a consensus,” said Annisul Huq, former president of the FBCCI who was on the delegation that met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
A number of delegation leaders said the prime minister had advised them to do their own business and not to be overtaken much by political events.
“She said the government will ensure security of businesses during hartal and take steps for smooth transportation of goods through the Pangaon river port which she opened on Thursday,” a business leader said.
“If necessary, steps will be taken for sending consignments by air force cargo plane,” she told the business leaders.
The prime minister did not agree to call Khaleda for a second time and offer a fresh date for talks as requested by the business delegation led by Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) chief Kazi Akramuddin Ahmad.
The FBCCI delegation met the Prime Minister at her office.
“I have already invited her [the opposition chief]…it remains still valid,” the apex trade body chief quoted Hasina as saying.
“She said for dialogue, the opposition party should come forward first.”
On the general secretary-level dialogue between the two parties, Hasina said: “Our general secretary has the authority to make any decision anytime, I do not know if the BNP secretary general has any authority like this as he is still an acting secretary general.”
A UNB report says: While the business leaders pressed her for making another phone call to the opposition leader, Hasina said: “I got insulted once by calling her. Now who will take the responsibility if you business leaders cannot convince her to come up for a dialogue?”
She also mentioned that she had already asked the opposition leader to place her demand which ministries she wanted for the all-party polls-time government.
When the businessmen pressed her for announcing a fresh date, the prime minister said there was no need for a date as her previous invitation was
still valid. “The opposition leader can come up any time, my door is open. But she has to come shunning the path of hartal.”
She urged Khaleda to apologise for calling a series of “unnecessary” hartals and killing innocent people.
The prime minister said she had invited Khaleda to Ganabhaban for talks over dinner when they last spoke on phone on October 26.
But the BNP chief “rejected the invitation, she did not withdraw the hartal programme and talked in an indecent tone,” Hasina regretted during on Thursday’s meeting.
Talking about the government’s intention to hold dialogue for resolving the ongoing issue, she said the 19th session of parliament was still on. “We are holding this session until now, hoping that the opposition will come and talk about their demands in the House.”
The top business leaders requested the prime minister to initiate a process to start the dialogue between the AL general secretary and the BNP acting secretary general to break the country’s prolonged political deadlock through a peaceful way.
FBCCI President Kazi Akramuddin led the delegation, which, among others, included former FBCCI presidents Mir Nasir Hossain, Yusuf Abdullah Haroon, Abdul Awal Mintoo, AK Azad and Annisul Huq.
Their meeting with the BNP chief last Saturday was not a happy one, too.
The FBCCI delegation, during the meeting at the BNP chief’s Gulshan office, had requested Khaleda to see whether a dialogue could be initiated at the secretary general-level without any condition. They also urged her not to call any more hartal, but Khaleda shot back, saying they had no other option.
That very day the BNP-led opposition alliance called the 60-hour hartal on November 4-6.
