Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) is providing false and misleading information to hurt the country’s RMG sector and it should be prosecuted for the offence. The minister came up with the remarks talking to reporters at the closing ceremony of a four-day GARMENTECH Fair 2016 in the capital yesterday. RMG sector is progressing rapidly with the efforts of government and entrepreneurs after the Rana Plaza disaster and Tazreen Fashions fire incident, he said. Ambassador and global retailers expressed satisfaction with the safety standard, which restored buyers’ confidence while TIB is now expressing propaganda to tarnish the country’s image to the foreigners, added the minister. Meanwhile, BKMEA said the TIB report on the RMG sector will add to the ongoing global and domestic conspiracy against the country’s apparel industry. “We are puzzled and at the same time disappointed by the TIB findings,” Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Salim Osman said in a statement yesterday. Transparency International interviewed only 74 people from RMG stakeholders, which is not a representative number and they generalised comments on tens of thousands of RMG workers, entrepreneurs, buyers, Osman said, adding that it is totally intentional. The organisation on Thursday released a report on the apparel industry that found irregularities and corruptions in 16 stages from order placement to shipment, where foreign buyers were also responsible for corruption and malpractice to reap undue advantages by pressuring Bangladeshi ready-made garment suppliers. The qualitative study on “How to Prevent Corruption in The Ready made Garment Sector: Scenarios from Bangladesh” is the first ever study, jointly conducted by Transparency International’s Bangladesh and German chapters from November 2014 to April 2015.
