Bangladesh News

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Board of Trustees has termed the remarks of the executive chairman of Board of Investment (BoI) ‘very unfortunate’ and said he has no idea about the trustee members.
Executive Chairman of BoI Mahmudur Rahman on Sunday branded CPD as a ‘conspirator and shameless liar’ and blasted it for portraying a negative image of the country with ‘political and purposive motive.’ He also questioned patriotism of those who are involved with the CPD and share their views.

“We are very sorry for Mahmudur Rahman’s comment in which he termed CPD a shameless liar. In fact, he has no idea as to who its trustee members are,” CPD Trustee Member M Syeduzzaman told a press briefing at its office yesterday.

CPD trustee members are eminent personalities not only at home but also abroad, he said naming Prof Rehman Sobhan, Prof Mohammad Yunus, F H Abed, Syed Manzur Elahi, Laila Rahman Kabir, Dr Anisuzzaman and Khushi Kabir.

It is widely said that Prof Yunus and Abed should win Nobel Prize for their outstanding work recognised globally, said Syeduzzaman, who is a former finance minister.

Elahi was an advisor to caretaker government twice and Laila is a former president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he added.

Rehman Sobhan, Elahi, Laila and Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, executive director of the CPD, were present at the briefing.

Responding to a question on the BoI chief’s remark on patriotism, CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan expressed surprise and asked, “Has my patriotism been questioned?”

Elahi said they do not want even to discuss the issue. The BoI executive chairman made personal attack without giving any specific information.

“The CPD trustee members do not have any political agenda. I think he (BoI chief) did not even try to know who its trustees are,” Elahi said. “This a free country. So, anybody can say whatever he or she likes. But we do not have any political agenda.”