BGMEA president clarifies remark on meeting with chief adviser

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan today clarified his earlier remark about being unable to get an appointment with the chief adviser for four months.

He made the clarification after Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder, in a Facebook post, said that "the BGMEA president expressed his frustration yesterday, saying he could not meet the chief adviser."

"However, just a few days ago, I personally saw him attending a meeting chaired by the chief adviser on preparations for Bangladesh's LDC graduation. Not only was he present, but he also directly raised several concerns of the BGMEA during that meeting," Majumder wrote in the post.

When contacted by The Daily Star over the phone today, Khan said the meeting Majumder referred to was related to Bangladesh's LDC graduation deferment and was attended by nearly 100 businesspeople, bureaucrats, and government officials.

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"We wanted an exclusive meeting with the chief adviser for leaders of the garment and textile sectors," Khan said.

"The chief adviser has not given us time for four months; that is the reality," he added.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the BGMEA president said, "For four months since taking office, we have repeatedly requested appointments with the honourable chief adviser to share our concerns, but he has not given us any time."

"I say this with frustration … when vice president-level executives from Starlink come, he gives them time, but to a $40-billion export industry, he does not. He must take responsibility for that. If he does not give us time, how can I express our concerns?"