Govt. extended BGMEA board tenure once again

Desk Report: The government once again extended the tenure of the incumbent Board of Directors of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) by one year.

Earlier the government also extended the tenure of BGMEA board by six months, letting the board to enjoy a three and half a year tenure instead of existing two years. The tenure of present board expired on September 21 last year.

BGMEA Vice-President Mohammed Nasir confirmed the extension of the incumbent board on Tuesday.
As per the schedule, the BGMEA election was scheduled on December 18 last year.

The biennial election for the posts of its 35 directors was supposed to be held on March 7, 2018 of the first extension of the tenure.

Two panels of apparel makers- Sommilito Parishad and Forum – had earlier reached a consensus to hold the election for new leadership on March 7, 2018.

However, after a meeting with stakeholders and former BGMEA presidents last week, the government decided to extend the board’s term by another year considering the present status of the apparel industry and challenges ahead, including completion of the safety inspection and other issues, Nasir said.

A Commerce Ministry source said that BGMEA president recently urged the government for the extension requesting changes in the memorandum of the association in line with the latest amendment of Trade Organizations Rules. In a reply the government once again extended the tenure by one year for the current board of BGMEA.

After getting the extension letter BGMEA president requested the BGMEA election board chairman Jahangir Alamin to stop their activities for conducting election.

Accordingly, BGMEA election board chairman Jahangir Alamin cancelled all activities of the board.