ce in last one year. Country witnessed hartal for 16 days mostly called by Jamaat protesting conviction of their war crimes accused leaders during this time. But it failed to gain ground and heat up political field. As such, the businessmen were not that much worried. In the wake of government’s anniversary celebration of assuming power, the political arena started to gather cloud. The futile and devastating hartal is showing its ugly face again. It will result in stagnancy in business activities, loss in trade and affect the progress. Against this backdrop, the opposition BNP called a 12-hour hartal on Monday. If the party is not allowed to hold rally on January 5, it will enforce hartal for three more days. It reminds the 2013 like nightmare again. The business leaders have called for resolution of the political standoff through dialogue. They asked all parties concerned to abandon the path of violence. Although goods were produced amid last year’s hartal, the supply chain was broken. Within a short time, the godowns were flooded with the goods. They stopped production for lack of storing capacity. As the raw materials could not be used and piled up in the port, the export and import business faced a debacle. The revenue earning and development projects of the government were hard hit. The foreign investors became reluctant to come here. Although some foreigners landed in the airport, they returned back. A team of foreign buyers was attacked by the pro-hartal picketers at Narayanganj. Panic continued to haunt the businessmen as BNP boycotted the January 5 polls. The last one year passed off without any political violence. But the expected volume of business did not take place. When a new government sets off its journey, a good air blows in the business arena. It was not the situation in the last one year. The situation is going to be deteriorated with the looting threat of hartal by the opposition parties. Sources said hartal was observed for 16 days in last one year. Of those, a nonstop hartal was enforced during a period from January 4 to 8. The first hartal which was enforced after the takeover by the present government was called by BNP protesting the 16th amendment to the constitution. It was enforced on September 22. The remaining hartals were enforced by Jamaat and other Islamist parties. Those were aimed at demanding arrest of Latif Siddique for his derogatory comment about Great Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), hajj and Tablighi Jamaat. As TV presenter Mawlana Nurul Islam Faruqui was killed, his party called hartal for one day. The instant hartal is called by BNP for not allowing it to hold rally in Gazipur. Another objective of the hartal as hyped by BNP is to protest arrest of its leaders. Business leaders said the hartal has nothing to do with the demands of the opposition party. In the past, the political parties could achieve nothing more than damaging the economy of the country by enforcing hartal. On February 29, 2004, the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia termed hartal as an act of violence. Addressing a rally at Savar, she also called upon the opposition parties to go to parliament to get the problem solved through discussion. She said the people do not want hartal. Prior to that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her first regime said the countrymen do not want hartal anymore. She also cautioned the opposition parties that hartal will not succeed in unseating the government. Even knowing that hartal is harmful, the successive governments did not go for any legal action to ban it. The parties can seldom reach a consensus on any issue but they are always vocal for defending the right to observing hartal. During the last caretaker government, FBCCI raised the demand for banning hartal. At that time, an Ifter party was held by an organisation at Hotel Sheraton. The event was attended by the then BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam. The business leaders failed to persuade the two leaders to pledge not to call hartal anymore. Again in 2012, the then FBCCI president AK Azad and his predecessor Salman F Rahman met finance minister AMA Muhith and demanded ban on hartal. The minister disagreed with them. He also requested them to come with alternative proposal. Analysts said there is no political party which realised demand enforcing hartal after the anti-Ershad movement. Ignoring the demand of Awami League, BNP cancelled the caretaker government system in 1996. The election of that time would not have been possible to resist calling long time hartal by Awami League. At the same way BNP also enforced repeated hartals ahead of last parliamentary election demanding caretaker government system. The demand of BNP had not been realised rather lives and properties of people were lost. The trades and businesses also came to a standstill. Political analyst Syed Abul Maksud said it is unnecessary to call this type of hartal. People face sufferings as well as hartal enforcers are not even benefited. Hartals nowadays are not supported by people rather these type of hartals enhance public sufferings. Students are mostly affected as educational institutions are closed during hartals. Students are more affected than businessmen. According to a report published in the Wall Street Journal on August 3 last year, hartal is a big problem for Bangladesh. Due to hartal Bangladesh incurred loss of Tk 53 thousand 900 crore equivalent to US $ 700 crore. Citing World Bank, the report on government activities of last financial year approved by cabinet said the financial loss of Bangladesh in 2013-14 is Tk 11 thousand crore. FBCCI estimated that some 12 percent of GDP is lost due to a single day hartal while International Chamber of Commerce reported that the country losses Tk one thousand and 540 crore for one day hartal. Urging to withdraw hartal, the leading business organisation FBCCI said in a press release yesterday that the economy of the country will be affected adversely due to hartal. Public life, production system, commodity transportation and daily activities will severely be affected for hartal. The learning of students and education system will be affected along with country’s economy. Especially, the preparation for the arrival of devotees towards Biswa Ijtema on the outskirts of the capital will be spoiled. FBCCI sources said the country is trying to overcome negative impact of the overall economy caused by destructive political activities that took place in 2013 centring national election. Now country is also doing fine in terms of the entire economic index. Under this circumstance, hartal would badly impact the progress of economy. It is not possible to settle the political crisis by imposing hartal like violent programmes. Business community is very much concerned in this regard. BGMEA vice-president Shahidullah Azim said Bangladesh has partially lost its fame in abroad due to Rana Plaza incident and political stalemate. Foreign buyers started to stop order in Bangladesh. However, the country is trying to gain the confidence of foreign buyers by organising Apparel Summit, but activities like hartal would bring devastating loss for the country. He told the daily sun that any of the political crises should be resolved through discussion; hartal may not be the solution to any political problem. The export of RMG was down in the last year, now the buyers have started coming again. So in such a situation if again hartal restarts it will certainly discourage the buyers. President of Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB), Abdus Salam Murshedy said that the tendency and practices of programs like hartal is quite less in any other country comparing to Bangladesh. “In the coming days the war will be only the economic war, in such a perspective the political parties have to come to a consensus and determine such program that would not create suffering to the general people, does not create harm to the economy but at the same time can achieve the political goal”, Murshedy added. Mentioning that the hartal not only hinder production and marketing of products, rather it keeps negative impact upon the economic trend of the country, the President of Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) Sheikh Kabir Hossain said that the country’s Insurance sector did not get rid of the political anarchy that was created in the year 2013. “The premium earning of every life insurance company of the country has declined. The growth of premium of non-life sector is also less”, Kabir said adding that the political parties should run their movement excluding hartal and also should find out the way of resolving crises being within the rationality and rules.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Politics of hartal returns, panic haunts the people:Daily Sun
ce in last one year. Country witnessed hartal for 16 days mostly called by Jamaat protesting conviction of their war crimes accused leaders during this time. But it failed to gain ground and heat up political field. As such, the businessmen were not that much worried. In the wake of government’s anniversary celebration of assuming power, the political arena started to gather cloud. The futile and devastating hartal is showing its ugly face again. It will result in stagnancy in business activities, loss in trade and affect the progress. Against this backdrop, the opposition BNP called a 12-hour hartal on Monday. If the party is not allowed to hold rally on January 5, it will enforce hartal for three more days. It reminds the 2013 like nightmare again. The business leaders have called for resolution of the political standoff through dialogue. They asked all parties concerned to abandon the path of violence. Although goods were produced amid last year’s hartal, the supply chain was broken. Within a short time, the godowns were flooded with the goods. They stopped production for lack of storing capacity. As the raw materials could not be used and piled up in the port, the export and import business faced a debacle. The revenue earning and development projects of the government were hard hit. The foreign investors became reluctant to come here. Although some foreigners landed in the airport, they returned back. A team of foreign buyers was attacked by the pro-hartal picketers at Narayanganj. Panic continued to haunt the businessmen as BNP boycotted the January 5 polls. The last one year passed off without any political violence. But the expected volume of business did not take place. When a new government sets off its journey, a good air blows in the business arena. It was not the situation in the last one year. The situation is going to be deteriorated with the looting threat of hartal by the opposition parties. Sources said hartal was observed for 16 days in last one year. Of those, a nonstop hartal was enforced during a period from January 4 to 8. The first hartal which was enforced after the takeover by the present government was called by BNP protesting the 16th amendment to the constitution. It was enforced on September 22. The remaining hartals were enforced by Jamaat and other Islamist parties. Those were aimed at demanding arrest of Latif Siddique for his derogatory comment about Great Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), hajj and Tablighi Jamaat. As TV presenter Mawlana Nurul Islam Faruqui was killed, his party called hartal for one day. The instant hartal is called by BNP for not allowing it to hold rally in Gazipur. Another objective of the hartal as hyped by BNP is to protest arrest of its leaders. Business leaders said the hartal has nothing to do with the demands of the opposition party. In the past, the political parties could achieve nothing more than damaging the economy of the country by enforcing hartal. On February 29, 2004, the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia termed hartal as an act of violence. Addressing a rally at Savar, she also called upon the opposition parties to go to parliament to get the problem solved through discussion. She said the people do not want hartal. Prior to that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her first regime said the countrymen do not want hartal anymore. She also cautioned the opposition parties that hartal will not succeed in unseating the government. Even knowing that hartal is harmful, the successive governments did not go for any legal action to ban it. The parties can seldom reach a consensus on any issue but they are always vocal for defending the right to observing hartal. During the last caretaker government, FBCCI raised the demand for banning hartal. At that time, an Ifter party was held by an organisation at Hotel Sheraton. The event was attended by the then BNP secretary general Khandker Delwar Hossain and Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam. The business leaders failed to persuade the two leaders to pledge not to call hartal anymore. Again in 2012, the then FBCCI president AK Azad and his predecessor Salman F Rahman met finance minister AMA Muhith and demanded ban on hartal. The minister disagreed with them. He also requested them to come with alternative proposal. Analysts said there is no political party which realised demand enforcing hartal after the anti-Ershad movement. Ignoring the demand of Awami League, BNP cancelled the caretaker government system in 1996. The election of that time would not have been possible to resist calling long time hartal by Awami League. At the same way BNP also enforced repeated hartals ahead of last parliamentary election demanding caretaker government system. The demand of BNP had not been realised rather lives and properties of people were lost. The trades and businesses also came to a standstill. Political analyst Syed Abul Maksud said it is unnecessary to call this type of hartal. People face sufferings as well as hartal enforcers are not even benefited. Hartals nowadays are not supported by people rather these type of hartals enhance public sufferings. Students are mostly affected as educational institutions are closed during hartals. Students are more affected than businessmen. According to a report published in the Wall Street Journal on August 3 last year, hartal is a big problem for Bangladesh. Due to hartal Bangladesh incurred loss of Tk 53 thousand 900 crore equivalent to US $ 700 crore. Citing World Bank, the report on government activities of last financial year approved by cabinet said the financial loss of Bangladesh in 2013-14 is Tk 11 thousand crore. FBCCI estimated that some 12 percent of GDP is lost due to a single day hartal while International Chamber of Commerce reported that the country losses Tk one thousand and 540 crore for one day hartal. Urging to withdraw hartal, the leading business organisation FBCCI said in a press release yesterday that the economy of the country will be affected adversely due to hartal. Public life, production system, commodity transportation and daily activities will severely be affected for hartal. The learning of students and education system will be affected along with country’s economy. Especially, the preparation for the arrival of devotees towards Biswa Ijtema on the outskirts of the capital will be spoiled. FBCCI sources said the country is trying to overcome negative impact of the overall economy caused by destructive political activities that took place in 2013 centring national election. Now country is also doing fine in terms of the entire economic index. Under this circumstance, hartal would badly impact the progress of economy. It is not possible to settle the political crisis by imposing hartal like violent programmes. Business community is very much concerned in this regard. BGMEA vice-president Shahidullah Azim said Bangladesh has partially lost its fame in abroad due to Rana Plaza incident and political stalemate. Foreign buyers started to stop order in Bangladesh. However, the country is trying to gain the confidence of foreign buyers by organising Apparel Summit, but activities like hartal would bring devastating loss for the country. He told the daily sun that any of the political crises should be resolved through discussion; hartal may not be the solution to any political problem. The export of RMG was down in the last year, now the buyers have started coming again. So in such a situation if again hartal restarts it will certainly discourage the buyers. President of Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB), Abdus Salam Murshedy said that the tendency and practices of programs like hartal is quite less in any other country comparing to Bangladesh. “In the coming days the war will be only the economic war, in such a perspective the political parties have to come to a consensus and determine such program that would not create suffering to the general people, does not create harm to the economy but at the same time can achieve the political goal”, Murshedy added. Mentioning that the hartal not only hinder production and marketing of products, rather it keeps negative impact upon the economic trend of the country, the President of Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) Sheikh Kabir Hossain said that the country’s Insurance sector did not get rid of the political anarchy that was created in the year 2013. “The premium earning of every life insurance company of the country has declined. The growth of premium of non-life sector is also less”, Kabir said adding that the political parties should run their movement excluding hartal and also should find out the way of resolving crises being within the rationality and rules.
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