Business Report :
The Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) is gearing up for its biennial election for 2024-26 amidst a chaotic schedule.
The election, slated for May 11, is clouded with uncertainty due to ongoing legal cases and repeated lawsuits.
April 22 was the last day to publish the list of final and withdrawn candidates but the candidates still do not know how the elections will be held in Dhaka and Chittagong.
BGAPMEA Election Board Chairman and Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Dr Md Razzakul Islam said that the election will be held according to the rules of the association.
The election schedule states that out of 21 directors in the BoD, 16 will be elected from the members of the Dhaka region and 5 from Chittagong.
When asked about the absence of any clear reference on how many votes a voter will cast, Razzakul Islam said that they do not know anything about this yet and they will take a decision in this regard after talking to the candidates next Wednesday.
Moreover, they will also decide whether the election will be held in Chittagong this year or not.
At the BGMEA and BKMEA election, a voter cast votes for the definite number of director posts for Dhaka and Chittagong.
However, in the last BGAPMEA election, the Dhaka candidates were elected unopposed and the directors of Chittagong were elected only by the direct polls.
Recently, former BGAPMEA president Moazzem Hossain said that the last election process was faulty and he alleged that the Commerce Ministry nominated their preferred administrator, although the administrator Moshiur Rahman denied it.
Moazzem Hossain also alleged that the former vice-president of the organization, Mohammad Belal, took Tk2,500 from each member in the name of passing their UP, which was not deposited in the fund of the organization.
He alleged that Mohammad Belal is simultaneously the leader of the importers and manufacturers association, which is a position against the interests of the organization.
He also said that Belal kept more than 50 non-negotiable bond licenses and was doing business with them.
In response to these questions, the managing director of ABS Carton and Accessories Industry Limited and the former vice-president of the organization, Mohammad Belal, said that the former president was dismissed due to fraud.
He also said that the election should be held in the same way which was held separately at Dhaka and Chittagong in the last tenure. They have issued a lawsuit and they will move court if the opposite happens.
Oikko Parishad panel leader and Adzi Trims MD Al Shahriar said they are not in any kind of chaos.
“If voters elect us, we will work with everyone to build a business-friendly, modern, strong, progressive and smart BGAPMEA. If the voters elect others, I will support them to advance the organization,” he added.
Active Members Union panel leader and Poly Plan Ltd MD Nasirul Alam said that they hope that there will be separate elections in Dhaka and Chittagong.
Usually, a member who obtained membership at least 120 days before election will be able to exercise his voting power.
But, Mohammad Ismam of Paragon Enterprises, Md Murad of SRC Accessories and Chowdhury Junayed Hossain of Adhuna Accessories are still omitted from the voter list.
The election schedule of BGAPMEA was announced last February with Razzakul Islam as EC chairman and Ashrafur Rahman and Tania Islam as members.
BGAPMEA is an association of backward linkage of the RMG sector.
The last president of the organization, Moazzem Hossain, was removed on September 5 of last year due to cross-complaints and lawsuits between the leaders. Then the Commerce Ministry appointed an administrator.
Moazzem Hossain became president of the organization nearly 2.5 years ago through a questionable election.
