Leaders of Sammilito Parishad, a panel of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), want an extension of the tenure of the current board rather than a fresh election for electing the next leadership.
The tenure of the current board of the BGMEA under the leadership of Faruque Hassan will come to an end in March as the board took charge in April 2021.
The incumbent board of the BGMEA was supposed to form the new election commission 90 days before the next election is due to be held.
However, it was not done.
Rather the board in a meeting held at the BGMEA office on Sunday decided to extend the tenure of the current board for the next six months.
It cited excuses of bad business conditions following the Russia-Ukraine war, severe fallouts of the Covid-19 and lower inflow of work orders from international clothing retailers and brands.
“We have taken the mandate from the board members for extension for six months,” said Md Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of the BGMEA.
“We will submit an application to the Department of Trade Organisation (DTO), under the commerce ministry, at the end of this week for its final approval from the government,” he said.
“At the same time, we are also forming the new election commission for holding the election timely if the DTO does not approve our extension,” Azim told The Daily Star over the phone.
On the other hand, Faisal Samad, leader of Forum, another panel of the BGMEA, said he would also submit an application to the DTO this week asking not to extend the tenure of the current board as the BGMEA constitution does not allow it.
The board should hold the election timely according to the constitution and citing of the war is an excuse only, he said.
Former BGMEA presidents Siddiqur Rahman and Atiqul Islam had also extended their time at the helm of the BGMEA.
However, the immediate past president of the BGMEA, Rubana Huq, from Forum did not extend her board’s duration and held the election on time, Samad said.
He said since the BGMEA constitution was not allowing the extension, the Sammilito Parishad is going to the DTO for the extension. The BGMEA constitution states that the election should be held 15 days prior to the date the board had taken over after it has served for two years.
Hassan called an emergency meeting of the board on Sunday to take the mandate for extension by six months.
