Letter from Europe
General strikes and political unrest have made it impossible for foreign companies to invest money in Bangladesh. If this situation continues further there will be an economic disaster in Bangladesh. Due to this crisis in Bangladesh other countries like Vietnam, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the East European countries are trying to get fresh orders for textile products from the US and Europe. They are also interested in destroying the garment industries in Bangladesh. European businessmen are thinking to change their policy towards Bangladesh. In 1997, a large textile industry in Dundee, UK, collapsed due to the political crisis in Bangladesh and about 500 people lost their jobs. A senior Scottish Parliament member went to Bangladesh to get supply of raw materials, but he failed. In Bangladesh more than 1,000 garment industries could not work properly for the last few years. More than 1.5 million people are working there, among them 80 % are women. Contracts worth about 2 billion US dollars per year are going to Bangladesh. All these will be in danger if the politicians do not change their policy.
It is not necessary for a politician to be wise. But they should have political sense and their advisers must be qualified people. The so-called politicians in our country both in the opposition and in the government and their advisers lack that sense. They never think about the nation, about economy, or about people; they are interested in grabbing power and fill their own pockets.
Nowadays to take admission into schools, colleges ( medical college, engineering college) and to pass the examinations everybody has to pay bribe .
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Here we have to mention that there were about 55 governments in Italy in the 50 years after the Second World War. They had political crises and still they have, but their economy, their people never suffer.