BNP sees govt failure

The main opposition BNP yesterday blamed the government for suspension of GSP facilities by the US, and said revocation of beneficial trade status might destroy the country's industrial sector.
The ruling Awami League (AL), however, blamed the garments owners' reluctance to implement necessary rules and a strong lobby against the government for cancellation of GSP.
The US on Thursday suspended trade privileges for Bangladesh after a six-year review exposed “serious shortcomings” in safety and labour standards.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said "The government and its lobbyists had totally failed to maintain a fruitful lobbying for GSP in the international arena."
He alleged that the government did not take any effective action against the accused after the Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen fire incidents.
"Both the tragedies had created a bad impression of Bangladesh to them [the US] and so they suspended the facilities," he told a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
AL acting general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Daily Star yesterday the government could not solely be blamed for the suspension.
The present government took a number of initiatives to improve working conditions for the garment workers, he claimed.
It had raised the minimum monthly pay for the workers to Tk 3,000 from Tk 1,600 and was planning to further increase the wage to Tk 6,000, Hanif, also a special assistant to the premier, said.
He also said the government had repeatedly asked the garment owners to comply with the international rules to maintain GSP facilities but they paid little attention to it.
“So, I can say the government had tried its best and can't be blamed (for the cancellation of GSP),” added Hanif.
At another programme at the Jatiya Press Club, BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said "It [suspension of GSP] will damage the image of the country abroad."