An influential US congresswoman has extended her support to Bangladesh’s persistent plea to get duty and quota free access to the American market, saying there have been good reasons to consider the demand, report agencies. She said she will raise the issue with the administrators in Washington. Carolyn Maloney also praised the present government’s fight against violent extremism as well as initiatives for empowering women during a meeting with Bangladesh ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin at her New York office. “Bangladesh is a democracy and is fighting against terrorism and extremism… You should be allowed duty and quota free access in the US market,” she was quoted as saying by the Bangladesh embassy. A member of the Democratic Party, Maloney is the Representative for New York’s 12th congressional district. She is also a member of the Bangladesh caucus. Bangladesh embassy said Maloney assured the ambassador that she along with other members of the caucus would raise the market access issue with the US administration so that Bangladesh can get the trade preferences. The US-Bangladesh relations are often described at its best now, though Washington does not allow duty free access to Bangladesh ’s exports. The ambassador briefed Maloney on wide range of issues including current political situation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s zero tolerance against religious extremism, women empowerment, bilateral trade and investment and Bangladesh-US cooperation. Ziauddin said peace and stability prevails in Bangladesh and flow of overseas investment in the country is on the rise. He said Bangladesh is on the threshold of becoming a mid-income economy. He argued that Dhaka deserves the US trade preferences to export its products, particularly readymade garments which would ultimately contribute immensely to the empowerment of women. On the political situation, the ambassador said Bangladesh held general elections legally and constitutionally ensured continuation of democratic governance. He said the government was also pursuing a policy of zero tolerance against all forms of extremism unleashed by Jamaat and other religious radical groups, many of whom were trained during the Afghan war. He said many friendly nations, including the US were extending cooperation to the government in countering extremism in Bangladesh. The embassy said Maloney wanted to know why the government does not get rid of the extremist religious parties. The ambassador replied: “The government is actively thinking about it”. She was also visibly moved and murmured ‘what a tragic story’ when the ambassador narrated the Aug 15 massacre in 1975. Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most members of his family were assassinated on that fateful night. She expressed her desire to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the upcoming UN general assembly session in Sep in New York. Minister (Press) Shamim Ahmad and Counsellor (Political) Nayem Ahmed of the Bangladesh embassy in Washington were also present in the meeting. The trade benefits for Bangladesh were revoked in mid-2013 after the Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen Fashions fire, which left more than 1,200 people dead. In January this year, US Trade Representative Michael Froman said that Bangladesh needed to do more to support workers’ rights and fight unfair labour practices to regain the benefit. “We also urge the government to accelerate its efforts to ensure workers’ rights and to take measures to address continuing reports of harassment of and violence against labour activists who are attempting to exercise their rights,” Froman said then. The 2013 suspension, however, did not directly hit Bangladesh’s garments exports as it was not included in the facility extended to almost 5,000 export items. In 2012, Bangladesh’s export to US stood at $34.7 million, which included tobacco, sports equipment, ceramic and plastic goods, which allowed a tax waiver of around $2 million for exporters. However, the US had to stop its GSP facility in 2013 as its Trade Preference Act expired. On June 29 this year, President Barack Obama signed the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 after the Congress cleared it. According to the Act, the GSP facility for 122 countries will be effective until December 31, 2017 and makes it retroactive to July 31, 2013. All the SAARC nations, except Bangladesh is included in the renewed the GSP facility. The Bangladesh government, however, says it has complied with all the 16 conditions the US had set in 2013 to regain the benefit. In April this year, Bangladesh sent a report on the matter to the USTR’s office. The US, however, has been saying that Bangladesh has made ‘some progress’, but that was not considered ‘good enough’. Bangladesh’s largest export destination is the US as around 21 percent of its $25 billion exports goes to the country, according to figures by the Export Promotion Bureau.
