Impact of hartal
Molla Mohammad Shaheen Dept of English, DU
A UNDP report, titled "Beyond Hartals: Towards Democratic Dialogue in Bangladesh" published on March 10 exposed the impacts of hartals on the economy of Bangladesh. As per the report, hartals cost 3-4% of GDP annually. Frequent hartals have paralysed the economy of our country. Though hartal is a political right, it affects all of us. The financial loss caused by hartal is very damaging for our fragile economy. It frustrates gradual economic growth. It deters the flow of FDI volume into our country. Most of the political parties use hartal as a political weapon. They call hartal whimsically. They do not care about the economic hemorrhage caused by hartal. It is very irksome for the foreign investors. Hartal disrupts normalcy of life. It wreaks havoc in the society. It affects the smooth functioning of the academic institutions. The BGMEA said that it loses US$18 million a day for the shutdown. So hartal is despised by every conscious and sensible citizen of our country. About 95% people abhor hartal for its deadly impact. The UNDP report is a timely signal for all the political parties to wake up from their deep slumber. They have to pledge not to call hartal. I hope all political parties will shun the path of destructive politics to make our country economically sound.
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