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Extortion, vandalism new threat

Says a former FBCCI president
STAR BUSINESS REPORT
As law and order deteriorated following the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government, trade and business establishments started to be targeted by extortionists and vandals, which is really reprehensible, said a top businessperson yesterday.
“I vehemently condemn the extortion,” said Mir Nasir Hossain, a former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
He was addressing a conference on “overall business situation and future action” organised by the business community at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.
Business has been destroyed due to malpractices of the National Board of Revenue and reforms are immediately required in the greater interest of business and national economy, he said.
The trade bodies were partisan in nature, for which they never fulfilled expectations of the business community, said Hossain further.
Abdul Awal Mintoo, a former FBCCI president, urged the business community to leave behind all conflict and rivalry to eliminate misunderstandings among themselves.
“I have got a number of complaints from businesspeople over discrimination. Now we should work jointly forgetting party and political mindsets in the interest of business,” he said.
“I was elected president of the FBCCI several times irrespective of whether the Awami League or Bangladesh Nationalist Party was in power and nobody can accuse me of using the trade body to serve political interests,” claimed Mintoo.
He also urged businesspeople to forget political identities and work as business leaders in the interest of business.
Any leader who fails to solve the problems of the businesspeople should step down, he said.
He said a democratic government was required, elected through a free and fair election, which would be a blessing for the business community.
Mintoo urged the current interim government to immediately bring about reforms in some business-oriented institutions.
He also alleged that people could not cast their vote over the years and now the country was devoid of politics yet still running.
During the last three years, economic growth witnessed a downtrend and investment was in the negative, he said.
Besides, high inflation, particularly food inflation, created pressure on low-income people as they had to spend the lion’s share of their income to purchase food, he said.
He further alleged that a number of people became rich without investing in ventures which create employment.
“We are now able to speak freely because of those who were martyred recently, including quota protester Abu Sayed and Mir Mahfuzur