DHAKA, Apr 5, 2022 (BSS) – The Trade Organisation Bill, 2022, aimed at allowing foreign traders to form joint trade bodies in Bangladesh, was passed in parliament on Tuesday.  

Commerce minister Tipu Munshi moved the bill in the House which was unanimously passed by voice votes with Panel Chairman Shahiduzzaman Sarker in the chair.

Piloting the bill, the commerce minister said the proposed act will replace the Trade Organisations Ordinance, 1961. “The act will ensure the representation of the people from government and also the trading organizations,” he added.

Some legal provisions have been included for women entrepreneurs in trade organisations through licensing, the draft law stated.  

A provision has been made for inter-country joint chambers of commerce and industry and a chamber of commerce and industry alliance. The foreign traders will be able to form a joint chamber.

Protesting the enactment of the proposed bill, Ganoforum lawmaker Mokabbir Khan said the enactment of the law will completely encourage the interest of the trading syndicate, rather than protecting the interest of the consumers. The bill completely opposite to the spirit of the constitution, he added.

The price hike of the essentials is rising not only for global price hike, but it also gone high due to extortion in step by step and also for ‘trade syndicating’, said another opposition lawmaker Kazi Feroz Rashid of Dhaka-2.

Besides, the opposition lawmakers including Mujibul Huq, Raushan Ara Mannan, Barrister Shamim Haider Patwary,Pir Fazlur Rahman, BNP lawmaker Rumeen Farhana and Harunur Rashid demanded for seeking public opinion before enactment of the proposed law.

The opposition lawmakers’ proposals on seeking public opinion and also a proposal of sending the bill to scrutiny committee were null and void by voice votes during the enactment process of the bill.