Businesspeople in Chattogram have alleged that upcoming elections for the region’s apex trade body are being engineered so that it remains under the influence of certain people close to former member of parliament MA Latif.
They said Latif’s relatives have been enrolled as candidates and are basically running unopposed despite being previously declared as ineligible.
These allegations came at a joint press conference organised by the Conscious Business Community of Chattogram and the Industrialist and Businessmen Welfare Foundation at Chattogram Press Club on September 17.
Businesses have long demanded genuine representation in the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), said SM Nurul Haque, convener of the Conscious Business Community.
“However, attempts are being made to capture the election through nepotism,” he added.
Haque further alleged that a former CCCI president actively facilitated the move.
He informed that Latif’s son Omar Muktadir has been listed as a candidate from the Patiya Association while another relative, Absar Hasan Chowdhury Jasim, will contest the elections as a representative of the Rangunia Association.
Meanwhile, other close associates of the former member of parliament, including a son-in-law from his extended family, will run on behalf of the Hathazari Association.
“It is evident that the chamber is once again being occupied by members of the Latif family and their allies, just like in the past,” Haque said.
Against this backdrop, the conscious business community demanded the immediate cancellation of the memberships of these town associations and trade groups or otherwise face protests.
Local businesspeople at the event also condemned the strict requirements imposed on the nomination process as it was virtually impossible to collect the necessary documents within the short seven-day timeframe.
The required documents included a Bangladesh Bank certificate on loan default status, income tax and VAT returns, police clearance, attested membership documents, a non-judicial affidavit pledging adherence to the election code of conduct, and more.
“These complex requirements are a deliberate attempt to restrict genuine businessmen from contesting the election,” Haque said.
“By imposing such conditions, the chamber is effectively narrowing participation and undermining fair competition,” he added.
According to the schedule announced by the Chamber Election Commission, nomination forms will be distributed from September 14 till September 20, with the submission deadline set at September 21. Meanwhile, the election itself will be held on November 1.
