AMID the curfew imposed on July 20 for an indefinite period apparently to contain violence centring student protests for quota reforms, businesspeople at a meeting with the prime minister on July 22 urged the government to immediately reopen factories. Most business leaders who attended applauded the government for creating a business- and investment-friendly environment but expressed serious concern about the government decision to suspend the internet and the shutdown of industrial activities. Industrial production has remained suspended since the curfew was imposed and internet connection has been suspended since July 18. Internet suspension caused a disruption in banking, customs clearing, e-commerce and e-ticketing, among other things. The port shutdown and restrictions on vehicle movement on the Dhaka-Chatogram Highway caused serious delay in export order completion. In this situation, businesspeople are concerned that the internet shutdown may prompt global buyers to shift export orders to other countries from Bangladesh. All who attended unanimously urged the government to reopen industrial units and restore internet services. The demands and concerns of exporters are more than justified, but their silence about the death of many students during the protests is disappointing and unexpected of a community that leads the industrial growth.
The prime minister assured the business leaders that the government was doing all to restore an enabling business environment and squarely blamed parties in opposition and other quarters critical of the government for the violence and the destruction of establishments. The prime minister also alerted apparel factory owners that the reopening of factories would be risky as 鈥榲ested interests could try to use them in destructive activities.鈥� Except for a former president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka, who raised a question about the intelligence failure of the government in dealing with the protests, industry leaders have largely subscribed to the partisan narrative of the government. The endorsement of the partisan narrative that terms the protesters as 鈥榤iscreants鈥� is a disservice to the business communities because it would further widen the gap between the business elite and the public at large. By not demanding a credible investigation of the reported violence and not asking the government to address grievances of students that remained unaddressed for so long, they have failed to play their expected role as leaders.
It is deeply disappointing that business leaders have taken a partisan position at the time of a national crisis to exclusively protect their business interests. They must realise that they are expected to develop a non-partisan eye and muster up the courage to speak truth to power. In doing so, they must ask the government to ensure justice for the victims of police brutality. They must ask the government to address the growing public discontent about the income inequality and economic crisis to avoid the recurrence of student protests and similar political-economic instability.
