Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin has said that the interim government has been delivering its maximum efforts as much aspossible imbued with patriotism to ensure smooth graduation of the country from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
"Be rest assured, we're doing as much as possible imbued with patriotism in this regard," he said.
The Commerce Adviser said this in an interview with the national news agency at his Secretariat office here recently while shedding light on the various aspects of the country's LDC graduation in November 2026 and subsequently facing the reaction from the private sector over the matter.
Regarding the reservation from the private sector in the country's LDC graduation in 2026, he raised question why the private sector had literally 'slept' over the issue for years and did not raise any such a strong voice.
Earlier, it was scheduled for 2024 for Bangladesh to be graduated, but it was delayed due to various reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons. "It's true that I can't agree or disagree with the demands from the private sector. So, it's a 'paradoxical' situation,"
Bashir went on saying, "As because, if we agree with them, then the necessary reforms will fall again into sleep...Deferring the graduation is not at all depends on the will of the government. They (private sectors) will have to accept it."
Bangladesh has passed in all the three criteria for graduating from the LDCs while it is a different argument whether those are based on right information or data or on wrong information, he mentioned.
The Commerce Adviser said they had to make the crisis management following the unruly acts of the previous AL regime. "My team members are also trying hard with sincerity and patriotism and Insha Allah, hopefully we'll be able to reach into a welfare situation for the country," he continued.
Replying to another query, he said although it is not possible to carry out all the reforms, but definitely some would be carried out. "The rest will move forward dynamically."
Meanwhile, many including a section of economists and businesspeople, were in favour of deferment of LDC graduation by a couple of years. �"BSS
