Staff Correspondent

The government has dissolved the board of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA, and appointed an administrator to oversee its activities.

Md Anwar Hossain, vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau, or EPB, has been assigned the role.

He is tasked with organising a 'fair and neutral' election within 120 days and handing over duties to the elected committee while notifying the ministry, the commerce ministry issued an order on Sunday.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, BGMEA President SM Mannan Kochi went into hiding.

Kochi, who also served as general secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan North Awami League, was replaced by Senior Vice President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam in his absence.

After the change of power, the interim government dissolved the boards of several trade organisations, including the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, or FBCCI.
The trend continues with the appointment of an administrator for BGMEA.

The order said BGMEA is a registered trade body under the ministry's licence.

Although the board was restructured on Aug 24 after Kochi's resignation, the formation process was found to be flawed.

Representatives of the reconstituted board have been unable to satisfactorily address the complaints raised by general members.

The ministry’s order added that the ongoing instability in the garment industry and worker discontent are adversely affecting the economy, with the reconstituted BGMEA board failing to function effectively.

The current board's lack of coordination suggests that the organisation's activities are not being conducted properly under the Trade Organisations Act, 2022.

In light of these issues, the ministry has called for the dissolution of the restructured board to ensure continuity in BGMEA’s operations and address the unrest and dissatisfaction among workers in the garment sector.