Photo : Messenger
The ensuing election to the country’s apex body of the garments manufacturers and exporters has been embroiled in controversy as allegations of the existence of fake voters on the voter list prepared for the BGMEA polls have been found to be true.
The election commission, which has been formed to conduct the election, confirmed the existence of fake voters during a hearing on Saturday following a complaint raised by the Forum panel, one of the factions participating in the upcoming election.
Some companies have been identified as non-existent in the allegations made against 429 fake voters. However, the election commission did not specify exactly how many companies are non-existent.
Industry insiders are of the view that the allegations of creating fake voters before elections are quite old in the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The ruling panel, according to them, lists non-existent garment factories in different times aimed at gaining more votes.
The forum this time identified a total of 429 companies by verifying the website of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) ahead of this year's elections. The panel complained to the Election Commission against them.
Faisal Samad, the Forum's panel leader and candidate for the post of president in the BGMEA elections, told The Daily Messenger, “We checked the NBR website and identified 429 companies that do not even have a Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN) certificate. We appeal against them. We have requested the election commission to exclude them from the voter list. Today (Saturday), the election commission fixed the hearing date. We have presented our arguments there.”
He also said, “The election commission has found the truth from the list given by us. They informed us that they checked some companies and found them not to exist. However, they could not verify all the companies. But we said every company should be verified. Even if it takes time, there is no going back. If necessary, we have no objection to postponing the election date. However, the election must be fair and free from controversy.”
When asked about this, Siddiqur Rahman, coordinator of the Sammilita Parishad and former president of BGMEA, told The Daily Messenger, “We do not know about this. We have not been informed yet. If we are informed in writing, we will know. Besides, we have not received the voter list yet. When the list comes, we will know how many are left out or how many are there.”
He also said, “Every time there are such complaints before the election. This is nothing new. This time also some names may come in that continuation. The election commission will verify and take a decision. Meanwhile, the Forum panel has requested elections to be held elsewhere outside the BGMEA building. Why? Why do we choose outside despite having our own building? Our election has always been arranged at our Karwan Bazar office, except once at the Radisson hotel just because of Covid, and at another occasion when our building was not ready. This time also the election will be held in the BGMEA building.”
BGMEA is an association of garment industry owners and exporters in Bangladesh. It is one of the most influential organisations in Bangladesh. The election of this organisation is scheduled to be held on March 9. The ruling Sammilita Parishad and Forum, traditionally divided into two panels, are participating in the election. The Forum panel on Saturday demanded that the primary voter list be canceled and published anew as the tax files of 429 voters were not received.
BGMEA Chief Election Commissioner Jahangir Alamin refused to comment on this. He told The Daily Messenger, “We have given our opinion on this matter. There is more to scrutinize in this regard. No decision can be reached now. But yes, we have found some companies that don't have TIN certificates.” He refused to say anything further.
The current BGMEA President Faruq Hasan told The Daily Messenger, “I am not aware that there is a problem with the TIN of 429 voters. The appellate board can inquire about it. If there is any dispute, there is a time for appeal.”
The term of the current board ends in March. The Sammilita Parishad took over the BGMEA in April 2021, defeating the Forum. The tenure of the current board was extended by one year in two phases, citing the critical period the garment sector is facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, dollar crisis, and other internal issues.
Messenger/Fameema
