Kazi Akramuddin Ahmad, Former President, FBCCI : I hope the next national budget will be one that is balanced and will bring about an industrial revolution. We have to incite an industrial revolution. I ran industry all my life. Even though Japan and Germany were ruined after the Second World War, they developed by focusing on SME, creating small industries and now have become the industrialists of the world. We also have to industrialize.
Industrialization is needed if sustainable development is to be brought about. Why excel in one industry while other times others excel in those? Today we possess a significant position in the garments industry, but there is no guarantee that this will be the case forever. However, if we establish industry for the sake of sustainable development and economic zones in villages for the purpose of industrialization, a lasting blueprint for development can be forged. We have to take measures beforehand so that if one industry falls, it does not cripple our economy.
We have sufficient human resource. We have to put this resource to good use, for which we have to develop skilled manpower. How much of it will be effective this year I do not know, because this is the year for the voted budget.
The government has to plan a lot during the fiscal year of a voted budget – businessmen want their wishes fulfilled, it should not favor the rich by discriminating the poor. It is my hope that this fiscal year’s budget will be balanced. But the important thing is investment should be increased. An increase in investment will lead to a rise in employment. Any infrastructure and rule of law needed for boosting investment should be ensured. Any costs incurred when working in an office has to be reduced, or else foreigners will not invest here.
We have declared establishing a hundred economic zones in the country – we have to utilize these. And all of this will not be possible for us alone, so we have to get help from foreigners. For instance, China has taken the economic zone in Chattogram, Japan in Araihazar, while India took the one in Mirsarai. Similarly, we have to make effective all the economic zones taken by the industrialized countries. I believe this will increase investment.
Based on an interview by Ashik Rahman, translated by Abrar Hussain