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Brief report on “Corporate
Governance: Mobile Phone, Oil and Gas Sector” dated 11th April
2005, at WVA Auditorium,
Dhaka,
on the eve of Global Week of Action
Government Must Act to Ensure Accountability and Social Responsibilities of
Multi National Companies Involved in Mobile Phone and Gas Sector.
Not
only in Bangladesh but also in the USA who will be the multi national
companies not by the people control the president at all. We find the same
reflection here in Bangladesh. This is not surprising it’s the reality.
Engineer Mohammad Shahidullah, chairman of Bangladesh Oil & Gas
preservation/Save national committee said these in the seminar titled
‘Corporate Governance: Mobile phone, Oil & Gas Sector’ at WVA auditorium in
Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
SUPRO,
Pradip and Citizen Rights Movement have jointly organized the seminar as
part of the Global week of action programs in Bangladesh. GM Fazlul Huq, MP
(Member of Parliament), Chairman - Post & Telecommunication Parliamentary
Standing Committee, Mr Abdul Razzak MP, agricultural secretary of The
Bangladesh Awami league the opposition party, Mr Abdul Malek Ratan,
secretary of Jatio Shamastrantik Dal (JSD), Telecom analyst Mr. Abu Sayed
Khan, Executive Director of BPDC Mr Sharif A Kafi, Joint secretary of SUPRO
Mr A H M Bazlur Rahman and many other key persons was present in this
occasion and delivered their valuable speeches. Mr. Rafiqul Islam, Director,
RUPANTAR and also the Treasurer has acted as moderator of the session.
Mr. Fazlul Huq, chairman-of
the parliamentary standing committee of post and telecommunications
questioned why the cell phone service provider companies are not present in
this seminar and he said he would issue a notice to the companies in this
regard soon. He mentioned that it’s their moral responsibility to be
accountable to the people.
Dr Abdur Razzak, MP, of
Bangladesh Awami League and member of the Estimate related Parliamentary
standing committee informed the house that he asked (in written) the mobile
phone service provider companies to provide documents containing how much
the expenditure is and how much the profit is in the call charges. He hopes
the companies will answer the question in the next meeting.
Four keynote papers
addressing Mobile phone in
Bangladesh
and Corporate Governance in Oil and gas sector were presented in the seminar
Mr. Sahamsudoha, Mr. Golam Nabi Jewel Mr. Azizul Islam and Mr Tushar Rehman
read their keynote papers.
In his paper Mr. Samsudoha
depicted the indiscipline scenario of the gas sector in Bangladesh. He
mentioned that Unicol demanded that they have already paid Take 134 core as
penalty for the Magurchaara accident but in reply BAPEX said that they
didn’t receive a single penny as penalty from them, they are going to issue
a show cause notice to them soon. He mentioned in his paper that the
investigation report of the Magurchara explosion is lost from the ministry.
In his key not paper Mr.
Golam Nabi Jewel mentioned that in Pakistan to obtain a license the mobile
phone companies has to pay US dollar 291 millions in open biding but in
Bangladesh the license fee is fixed and it’s Taka 1 crore ( taka 10 million,
approximately US $ 16,667) only. In the SAARC countries the call rates are
Tk. 1 in India, Tk.2.50 in Nepal, Tk.3.50 in Pakistan but in Bangladesh it’s
nearly double as Tk.7 per minute.
Mr Sharif A Kafi Executive
director Of BPDC said to the house that a gas field was discovered in
Moulovibazar a long days ago but its not explored till to date. People have
the right to know the underlying reasons to serve whose interest this gas
field has not been explored. There are many brands of liquid milks are
available in the market but with this milks one can’t develop ‘doi’ (yogurt)
as because the manufacturers used a huge chemical preservatives. There is no
control system.
Telecom analyst Mr. Abu
Sayed Khan said, our main political parties have opposite views in almost
every issue but very surprisingly they takes the same stand in the issue of
corruption. They became deaf and dumb when the peoples right are violated.
He said that Grameen phone has three (3) million subscribers but how much
customer service centers they have? If some one intents to know the bill
status he has to pay for it.
Prepared by
Sarwar E Alam,
Coordinator – Policy Research
15th April 2005 |
