Dhaka,   Friday 07 February 2025

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Home adviser urges Kuwait to recruit more manpower from Bangladesh

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday called upon Kuwait to recruit more manpower from Bangladesh. “Around 280,000 Bangladeshis are working in the Gulf state and I urge the government of Kuwait to take more manpower from Bangladesh,” he said when Ambassador of Kuwait to Bangladesh Ali Tunyan Abdul Wahab Hamadah paid a courtesy call on him at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The adviser said Kuwait is interested in taking more female domestic workers from Bangladesh. “I also request them to take male workers along with women,” he continued. The adviser said historically Bangladesh and Kuwait have a deep-rooted friendship. In reply, the envoy promised to increase the import of manpower from Bangladesh, saying: “Kuwait has always been by Bangladesh`s side as a Muslim and Asian ally and will continue to be in future.” The ambassador recalled Bangladesh’s support to Kuwait in post-Iraq-Kuwait war rehabilitation and landmine clearance in which 270 Bangladeshi soldiers were killed and 56 others injured. He said there is no agreement between Bangladesh and Kuwait on the import-export of manpower. “Such an agreement needs to be concluded quickly,” he said. The meeting discussed various issues relating to mutual interests including manpower export, military and security issues, assistance to the Rohingyas, and mutual cooperation in enhancing the capacity of law enforcement agencies, reads a home ministry press release. Welcoming the ambassador, the adviser said Kuwait is one of the key partners in the development of Bangladesh and it has been providing assistance in various sectors including the Rohingya issue. In response, the ambassador said Kuwait has helped highlight the Rohingya issue in the international arena since 2017 and such cooperation will continue in future as well. The ambassador thanked the adviser for providing necessary security measures to the Kuwait embassy and Baridhara diplomatic enclave.

Investors protest in Motijheel demanding BSEC chairman’s resignation

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka The Bangladesh Capital Market Investor Association (BCMIA) has launched a protest rally demanding the resignation of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman Khondokar Rashed Maqsood. The rally began in front of the old building of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) in Motijheel today (3 February). The protesters called for Maqsood`s resignation, emphasising the need to protect capital and establish a transparent and accountable capital market in Bangladesh. They also presented a list of urgent reforms to prevent the market`s collapse, including, immediate removal of the BSEC and Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) chairmen, replacing them with qualified individuals to stabilise the market, complete withdrawal of the capital gains tax, an end to excessive regulatory interference, reforming the process of sending listed companies to the Z category, ensuring companies distribute a minimum dividend of 50% of their profits, prompt communication of task force reforms to investors and stakeholders via media, enforcing the 30% minimum shareholding requirement for companies, restructuring the board of any listed company that fails to pay dividends for two consecutive years, halting force sales in the stock market. Investors have accused Maqsood of incompetence, claiming he lacks the necessary expertise to manage the stock market. As a result, they are demanding his immediate resignation in the interest of market stability.

CA asks all ministries to implement at least one recommendation from task force during his tenure

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has directed each ministry to start implementing at least one short-term, feasible recommendation from the task force during the interim government`s tenure. He gave the directive during a prior meeting of the Advisory Council when the task force`s report was presented, in order to establish the foundation for a fair, sustainable, and dynamic economy, Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said today (3 February) during a press conference at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Wahiduddin, also the education adviser, on Thursday (30 January) handed over the report of a task force to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. The report called "Re-strategising the Economy and Mobilising Resources for Equitable and Sustainable Development" was handed over at the Chief Adviser`s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, said the CA`s Press Wing. At the press conference today, the adviser provided an example, saying that the task force`s recommendation to make Biman Bangladesh Airlines commercially profitable will be implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. "One of the recommendations from the task force is to create another organisation to make Biman profitable, with the management responsibility assigned to a foreign company. Biman Bangladesh has become a financially struggling institution, and despite the potential for profitability, it has been incurring losses year after year. If there are two separate entities, it will be clear why Biman has not been profitable," he said. Similarly, each ministry will select one recommendation from the task force to begin implementation. However, the respective ministry will decide which recommendation to prioritise for implementation, said Wahiduddin Mahmud. Wahiduddin also mentioned that the country`s economy was headed in a direction where sustainability seemed unlikely. Therefore, there was a need for a change in the economy`s trajectory. The 12-member task force was formed on 10 September to reframe the development strategies, find out leakages in the financial system and restore discipline in project implementation. "The task force was formed by the Ministry of Planning to address what kind of changes are needed in the economy, how funding can be secured, and how to ensure good governance. "The main goal of the task force was to recommend short-term reforms or action to put the economy on the right track. Once implementation begins, there will be no turning back. We have to move forward," said the adviser.

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Proportional electoral system not possible in Bangladesh: Fakhrul

Proportional electoral system not possible in Bangladesh: Fakhrul

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka The proportional electoral system, which has come in the spotlight amid discussions of constitutional reform, is not possible in the context of Bangladesh, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul said today (13 November). Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Thakurgaon`s Kalibari, he said, "We have rejected this electoral system. This system is not possible in the context of the country." Bangladesh currently uses the First Past the Post, or FPTP, system, where the candidate with the highest votes in an electoral constituency wins. The other system is the Proportional Representation system, where there are no constituency-based candidates. Voters cast their votes for party symbols, and the number of seats a party receives in parliament is determined in proportion to the percentage of votes it secures. At the conference, Fakrhul also urged for patience and unity among the people following AL`s "successful attempts to create divisions". "We want a united nation by removing this division. In a democratic society there can be different opinions. But there must be unity on the basic issues of Bangladesh`s independence — sovereignty, democracy, human rights. "As a nation, we must not be intolerant. It is not possible to remove the garbage of 17 years in 17 days or even 17 months. So, this government should be given time." Fakhrul said, "We have verified that the people want an impartial election with the participation of all. We think that all kinds of reforms are necessary to make this election fair. So we have been saying that elections should be held within a reasonable time. And this roadmap should be given to the government." On the issue of reforms, he said the government would not have to do most of those. "It will be done by a parliament which has been elected." At the conference, Fakhrul also warned that India`s continuous campaign against Bangladesh can pose a great danger. "Now a trend has started on social media. Some are trying to destroy the achievements of Bangladesh. We have to be careful as we cannot meet another disaster right now. There is danger over our heads as the mastermind of fascism is staying in India," he said. After the fall of the Awami League administration, several parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have called for the introduction of the PR system in the national parliamentary elections.

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