Chaos looms over ship breakers' polls as election commissioners resign

The upcoming election for the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association, representing the country's billion-dollar shipbreaking industry, has been thrown into disarray following the resignation of two of the three election commissioners. 

With the final remaining member also considering stepping down, the poll, scheduled for 25 October, now faces uncertainty.

The election, which was expected to formally announce winners for 11 posts – all running uncontested – has been mired in controversy due to widespread noncompliance and delays in document submission by candidates.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Mahmud Imam Billu resigned on Tuesday, citing the "absence of a proper environment to conduct the election." 

This came a day after commission member Zahirul Islam Chowdhury had also stepped down. 

The remaining member, Khairul Alam Sujon, told TBS on Wednesday that he was considering resignation, stating, "With two members gone, my staying on makes no difference. There's no way to carry the process forward."

One of the commissioners, who requested anonymity, alleged that the candidates had been exerting unethical pressure on the commission to declare the committee elected, which ultimately forced their resignations.

Violations and disregard for rules

The turmoil stems from candidates' failure to adhere to the nomination verification process. For the first time, the Directorate of Trade Organization under the commerce ministry had issued a formal election guideline, making the submission of updated income tax returns, VAT certificates, police verification reports, and Credit Information Bureau (CIB) reports mandatory for both candidates and voters.

However, most candidates reportedly ignored the rules. Many failed to submit the required documents by the 13 October deadline, while some submitted papers of questionable authenticity. The election board had sent the documents to the DTO for verification, but no response had been received as of 14 October.

In his resignation letter, Kazi Mahmud Imam Billu specifically cited "repeated breaches of the election code, failure to submit documents on time, and a general disregard for rules as reasons making it impossible to conduct a fair election. He added that some candidates continued to violate election norms and even held press conferences despite the board's instructions.

Billu later told TBS that "the indifference of candidates towards legal requirements and repeated violations of conduct made it impossible to continue."

A 'winner' before the vote

A group of candidates declared an uncontested "win" on 16 September, the last day for submitting nomination papers. They unilaterally announced Amzad Hossain Chowdhury as president, alongside a list of vice presidents and executive members.

The announced committee included Senior Vice President Md Mohsin Chowdhury (PHP Group), vice presidents Naushir Hasan (Crystal Shippers) and Gazi Mokarram Ali Chowdhury (Chittagong Shipbreaking), and several others. The "president-elect," Amzad, is the younger brother of BNP central executive committee member Md Aslam Chowdhury.

The election board has not yet recognised this committee as valid. When contacted, Amzad told this newspaper that he was aware of the resignations but did not know the reason, adding that a meeting on Saturday would clarify the details.

Deep-seated issues exposed

The current crisis has exposed deep divisions and historical practices within the influential trade body. Since the association's formation in 1982, its leadership has been chosen mostly through internal selection by senior members, with a formal participatory election taking place only once in 2008.

According to industry sources, the association's leadership has long been dominated by a small group of influential shipbreakers. Master Abul Kashem, a senior leader, noted the difficulty in finding new candidates, explaining that many capable leaders are now ineligible under the new Directorate of Trade Organization rules, having already served two to three terms. "We struggled to even find candidates for 11 posts. So it was impossible to hold a competitive election," he said.