Courtesy: The Daily Star
Thursday, May 09, 2013
Savar tragedy, garments industry and Bangladesh
Muhammad Yunus
Photo: AFP
THE Savar tragedy is a symbol of our failure as a nation. The crack in Rana Plaza that caused the collapse of the building has only shown us that if we don’t face up to the cracks in our state systems, we as a nation will get lost in the debris of the collapse.
Today, the souls of those who lost their lives in Rana Plaza are watching our actions and listening to what we say. The last breath of those souls surrounds us.
Did we learn anything at all from this terrible massacre? Or will we have completed our duty by merely expressing our deep sympathy?
What should we do?
* Do everything to prevent such an incident from repeating in the future.
* What to do for those who have lost lives, their limbs or their livelihoods?
* What do we need to do to not only save our garments industry but make it stronger?
The collapse of the nine-storey building in Savar was not merely a collapse. It is just a precursor to the imminent collapse of all our state institutions. If we look closely at the collapse of the Savar building, we can read the symptoms of collapse of our state institutions. We will have to find ways to fix the institutions to protect them from complete collapse.
Citizens’ action group
I will discuss how we might be able to not just save, but also strengthen our garments industry.
Questions have been raised about the future of the garments industry. A very large foreign buyer has decided to pull out of Bangladesh because of the dangers in the garments industry here. Others may follow. If this happens, it will severely damage our social and economic future. This industry has not only increased our national income, but has also brought immense change in our society by transforming the lives of women in the country.
We cannot allow this industry to be destroyed. Rather, we have to be united as a nation to strengthen it.
The government, the leaders of the garments industry, the NGOs, and the civil society have to come forward in unity to do so.
We have to give complete reassurance to the foreign buyers that they will never again face this kind of situation, and that we are all united to take steps in order to achieve that, and will firmly carry out this commitment in the future.