A group of businessmen staged a demonstration today in front of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry office in Chattogram, calling for the resignation of the chamber’s managing committee.
The protesters also demanded a simplified process for obtaining new memberships in the chamber.
Rakibul Alam, vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told The Daily Star that a syndicate has transformed the Chittagong Chamber into a “family-run institution”.
Habibur Rahman, secretary of the Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA), accused certain groups of corrupting the chamber with authoritarianism and nepotism.
“To make the chamber business-friendly, a new management committee should be formed through elections,” he said.
S M Nurul Haque, former senior vice president of the chamber, alleged that the current committee was elected through irregularities.
“We want a free and fair election of the Chamber by its genuine members.”
Former employees of the chamber also joined the protest, demanding reinstatement to their jobs.
