Fear-free business facilities must be allowed for reduction of price

Statements made by some advisers of the caretaker government indicate that business activities are not as normal as they should have been because the key players in business and trade are still preferring to stay away for fear of falling into trouble. Big business people are not feeling comfortable to continue normal business activities. In other words, the government has to find out whether the inaction in economic activities is rooted in its lack of success to win the trust of the businessmen. The major cause why the government is not succeeding in reducing prices of essential commodities is its failure to revive economic activities.

Adviser for power and energy Tapan Chowdhury informed the media the other day the government’s surprise over the price hike of even those essential items from which the government has announced in the budget reduction of duty and tax. He said that business people were not cooperating with the government and expressed his fear that like the price hike that followed the announcement of the budget, another spate of price hike is likely during the holy month of Ramadan.

The matter needs to be taken seriously at the highest level to remedy the visible inaction in the business front instead of relying on stop-gap measures that so far have not proven effective to streamline trade and business.

Import of essentials and marketing the same by the paramilitary BDR can at best be a crisis time management which cannot and should not continue for long. BDR people are trying hard to run fair price shops. They are doing an admirable job yet they cannot be expected to take the role of business people. There is no denying the fact that black-sheep is found from among the businessmen as it is in other professions at the present stage of surge in economic activities. But they can get things done more efficiently, It is wrong to treat them like corrupt politicians.