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Election fever grips business community

By Staff Correspondent
An election fever has gripped the country's business community as the-Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).- the apex body of the community, goes to polls on October 17.
On that day. office-holders of the affiliated business organisations from around the country are going to elect a president, a vice president and 30 executive committee (EC) members of the Federation for a two-year term.
Some of the leading Indus trialists and businessmen are contesting the polls and the candidates themselves are seriously campaigning for the coveted posts
The reason the elections this year has aroused so much interest among trade and in dustry circles is that this Is for the first time in its 21 year history the federation's officeholders are being elected under a direct voting system re-• placing the proxy voting system used earlier.
This change has forced the prospective candidates to launch a vigorous campaign replete with formulating their respective election manifestos, holding projection meetings in
dlffereht cities and even conducting door-to-door style campaigns among the voters
"The change in the voting system has compelled the candidates to come forward with specific agenda to win votes as the stakes are Very high. Earlier, the' wipners Were decided well before the polling day. remarked a voter In the elections who leads a trade association.
Under a rotating system the FBCCI president and vice president are elected from amongst the representative trade associations and chamber bodies. This year, the pres ident would be elected from amongst the candidates for trade associations as the in cumbent president. Mahbubur Rahman, was ejected by the chamber group when he was the president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCC1)
The 30 EC memberships are split equally among the trade associations arid cham tier groups.
The FBCCI represents 55 chambers and another 132 trade associations from around the country There are 840 eligible voters — 614 would vote
for the trade association group candidate while 226 for the chamber group contestants.
Fifty eight candidates are < on testing for the post of president and 1 5 EC memberships from the trade association side while another 24 candidates are vying for the post of vice president and the remaining 15 EC member posts from amongst the chamber group representative organisations.
Seven candidates are stilling the race for the post of president: Redwan Ahmed. MP. president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Salman F Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Oushad Shilpa Samity. Mirza Abu Mansur, former president of the Bangladesh Hardware and Machinery Merchants Association. MA Kashem. former president of the Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association, Nurul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Cold Storage Association F 1 S Mohsin Bulbul, president of the Bangladesh Thlkadar Samity. and Kazi Md Shafiqual Islam of the Bangladesh Leather Goods Manufacturer; Association. Islam i> also the Incumbent vict president of the federation.
Three of the presidential candidates have also floated a I 5 member panel contesting EC membership posts. They are Redwan Ahmed. Saknan Rahman and Mirza Mansur
An 8-member independent panel, is also contesting the polls for the EC memberships. It is ted by Yusuf Abdullah
Harun, president of the Bangladesh. Vegetable Oil Refiners and Banspati Manufacturers Association.
Two other presidential candidates, Akram Hossain of the Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association and M A Hannan of the Bangladesh Major and Compact Flour Mills Association, have withdrawn from the race in favour of Salman Rahman.
There are four vice presidential candidates.,They are Khandaker Rashiduzzaman Dudu of the Kushtia Chamber. M Lutfur Rahman Khan of the Madarlpur ' Chamber. Mohammad All Sarker of the Rajshahl Chamber and Abdul Latif Siddiqui of the Tangail Chamber.
The council of chamber presidents has backed a 16-member pane] with Rashiduzzaman Dudu as the vice presidential candidate.
The campaigning is now centered around the capital, where most of the voters are located, in Chittagong where there are 48 voters, and In Narayanganj which has 47 voters from amongst the trade associations.
The presidential candidates are now busy holding regular projection meetings in posh hotels and are also calling on voters individually. Campaign offices of the candidates have been set up tn the city, while hotel rooms have also been reportedly booked for out-of-town voters.
The elections on Monday next would be held from 9am to 5pm at the Federation Bhaban in Motijheel.