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FBCCI blames politics of conflict for law, order crisis

Star Report
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at an emergency meeting yesterday blamed the political ’culture of conflict’- for deterioration of law and order.
The apex businessbody will open a cell today to monitor the killing, loot and extortion and other forms of harassment that the business community are facing across the country. It will use the information gathered by the cell for taking combined steps, meeting sources said.
The business leaders attending the meeting felt improving the relations among the political parties was essential for overcoming the
present law and order situation.
They also felt the two main political parties g- ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and opposition Awami League (AL) - should come forward to improve their relations and start dialogue to correct the present crisis and make parliament effective.
The meeting, chaired by FBCCI President Abdul Awal Mintoo, decided to sit again tomorrow at 6:30pm to further review its recommendations before submitting to the government. The recommendations would be for short-, mid- and long-term programmes including strengthening of police, starting political dialogue and making parliament effective, .meeting sources
. said.
The FBCCI will also request the minister and the state minister for home affairs soon to sit with it to discuss the present crisis.
Among others, FBCCI Vice-Presidents Kamaluddin Ahmed and Abul Quasem Haider and Director A Rouf Chowdhury were present at the meeting.
Commenting' on the country's political situation and law and order, Mintoo said he believed that in order to bring an end to this anarchy the problems must be resolved politically.
"The 140-million people of the country can no longer sit idle and watch tire country go down the drain because of conflict between the two main political parties [ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and opposition Awami League (AL)]," he told The Daily Star yesterday.
Mintoo said his organisation would demand decentralisation of executive power as at present it was too much concentrated in the prime minister. "We want the government to exert power in a transparent way. We want the judiciary to be independent and parliamentarians to have freedom of expression and play their due roles. We want transparency in governance."
'With 30 percent of the population unemployed and 50 percent below the poverty line, we can no longer afford the luxury of the conflict between the two parties that is responsible for all this mess," he added.
In the face of continuing slide in law and order in recent days, different associations threatened to gofor tough programmes if the government failed to safeguard their life and property from criminals. They also warned of stoppingtax payments if the slide in law and ordercontinued.
On Wednesday, a team of 30 leaders of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, the country's apex body of shop-owners, met Home Minister Altaf Hossain Choudhury at his office and expressed grave concern over the recent rise in killing, loot, extortion and abduction of businessmen and their family members.
They told the minister that they would watch law and order for another week before launching a tough movement.
Two businessmen were killed in the
city last Monday.
Mostafa Kamal, 35, a travel agent, was killed in the afternoon at his office on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in Tejgaon in a hail of bullets, apparently over refusal to pay tolls. In reaction, members of Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue Traders Association asked the association's president Abul Khaer Bhuiyan Tuesday to take measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the area.
The second victim was Anwar Hossain Babul, 40, treasurer of Mirpur Benarasi Tanti Samity and a contractor, who was shot dead in the evening on Zoo Road in Rainkhola. Traders of three Mirpur wards kept shops closed Tuesday and Wednesday demanding arrest and trial of the killers.
Four jewellers' associations observed daylong strike in the capital last Saturday protesting the deterioration of law and order. They gave the government a 72-hour ultimatum to recover gold jewellery worth around Tk 5.5 crore looted from Karnaphuli Garden City on February 4.
A number of kidnappings of magnates occurred in Chittagong during the last few months. On July 24 last year, Jamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury was kidnapped; no-one knows hisfate. On August 8, the body of abducted shipping magnate Rezaur Rahman Zakir was retrieved from roadside. During the Eid-ul-Azha vacation, businessman Nasiruddin bought his freedom in Chittagong, reportedly paying a ransom ofTk 10 lakh. Another businessman, Bablu, was kidnapped in Bandarban during the Eid holiday.