¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Seeking support for building a new Bangladesh, chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday urged the businesspeople to come forward and work together as one team to boost productivity, capacity and competitiveness so that Bangladesh can compete effectively in the global market.

‘We need to move ahead as a team. It is a compact team. It is a very compact family. Let us work together. Let us build a new Bangladesh,’ he told the businesspeople appreciating their entrepreneurial spirit.

Professor Yunus said that they got an opportunity to build a new Bangladesh with a healthy and decent economy by coming out from the rotten system that the country witnessed over the last 15 years.

‘We can do that together. You have proved that you can,’ said the Nobel Laureate, describing the businesspeople as world-class entrepreneurs.

He said that it was not an ordinary political movement but the students led it with their uncompromising spirit to achieve their goal to see a new Bangladesh.

‘Such opportunities do not come again and again and we have no idea whether the nation will get any such opportunity in the future. My appeal to you all, this opportunity should not be left unutilised.’

Yunus said they knew each other in this compact family which was a big source of power.

‘RMG industry emerged as something very big out of nowhere. It is proudly holding the second position in the world market and it can be number one.’

CA Yunus said that businesspeople were members of the compact family and the government wanted to work together with them

He said that they might not have knowledge or experiences in all the fields but they could gather the required experiences by working together as a team. ‘Let us materialise the dream.’

Talking about the challenges in the post-graduation era, Yunus said that they might lose some benefits but they had to develop the capacity to compete efficiently.

The chief adviser introduced his special envoy on international affairs Lutfey Siddiqui with the businesspeople and hoped that he would be successful in conveying the messages of businesspeople to its international partners.

‘Let us do reforms together. My big expectation is to see workers-owners good relationship. We cannot proceed if workers’ issues remain unaddressed. If we want to proceed, give us the courage,’ he said.

The chief adviser also encouraged the businesspeople to do social business, noting that making money is happiness but making other people happy is super-happiness.

International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh hosted the event titled ‘National Business Dialogue’ held at a hotel in Dhaka.

Representing the ICCB president, Mir Nasir Hossain said that there was a well-orchestrated vested quarter which was desperate to discredit the interim government by creating chaos and unrest within the society and the economy.

‘We must resist this unholy alliance and counter it with full force,’ he said, adding that businesses as a whole would work as a catalyst with the chief adviser to realise the dream of martyrs.

Nasir said that businesses as a whole had full trust and confidence in the interim government, headed by professor Yunus, which came into being as a consequence of student-led mass movement to create a new Bangladesh.

Planning adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud and finance and commerce adviser Salehuddin Ahmed spoke as special guests.