Economist Anu Muhammad remarked that while the government verbally proclaims 'Bangladesh First', its actions reflect 'Bangladesh Last'. Regarding the issue of leasing the Chattogram port to a foreign company, he said, 'The effort to hand over Chattogram port to a foreign company poses a major threat to the country's economy and national capability.'
Anu Muhammad made these remarks on Tuesday (September 8) at a roundtable discussion titled 'Chattogram Port and National Interest', organized by Media and Civil Rights Society at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall of the National Press Club.
The keynote paper at the event was presented by Sohag Kumar Biswas, Chattogram Bureau Chief of the daily Amar Desh newspaper. The roundtable meeting was conducted by Baten Biplob, Executive Director of the Society.
Anu Muhammad stated, 'We hear from the government that it is "Bangladesh First", but practically it is seen as "Bangladesh Last". It is imperialist interests first, US interests first, or Trump's interests first.'
He alleged, 'Since 1997, we have been seeing attempts to hand over the Chattogram port to foreign companies. At that time, a project was formulated to give the port to an American company for 200 years.'
Criticizing the government, Anu Muhammad said, 'All the questions we are raising, or all the arguments we are presenting, have no counter-answers. They do not operate by logic, they operate by coercion and force.' Regarding the increase of tariffs for the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) of Chattogram Port, he said, 'Where existing tariffs are yielding a profit, on what grounds are tariffs being increased? Increasing tariffs means import costs will rise, export costs will rise, and the competitive capacity of economic production will decrease. Tariffs are being increased to ensure the profit of DP World.'
Highlighting the importance of Chattogram Port, Anu Muhammad said that seventy to ninety percent of all our imports and exports go through this Chattogram Port, and a large portion of that goes through NCT, this very terminal.
He said that what Muhammad Yunus (former Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus) described as the 'heart', handing that over to someone else cannot be compared to anything else.
Dhaka University teacher Moshahida Sultana Ritu said, 'The other ports that were handed over to foreign institutions based on previous claims did not yield the results we hoped for. If the New Mooring Terminal is given to foreigners, will we be able to utilize the capacity that is being talked about being created?'
She said, 'A lot of costs went behind Rampal and Rooppur, but now in times of crisis, these are not coming to use. Leaving aside giving it to a foreign operator, what is Bangladesh's plan to activate the port must be ensured first.'
Abdullah Kafi Ratan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said, 'The Yunus government that was brought to power after the July uprising has also made agreements, all of which are against national interests. The elected government is also walking the path of the Yunus government. There is no issue of profit and loss here. The entire matter here is one of subordination and protecting the interests of US imperialism.'
Harunur Rashid, General Secretary of Maulana Bhashani Parishad, said, 'Six months of the government have passed, but the government could not discuss such an important issue as the port in parliament. Why was a foreign director not needed here for so many years, and why is it needed now? Because plans are now underway to hand it over to foreigners.'
Other speakers at the roundtable discussion included Nagorik Oikya Organizing Secretary Sakib Anwar, Biplobi Chhatra Maitri President Dilip Roy, and Ganatantrik Chhatra Council President Sayedul Haque Nishan.
