Any move to hand over Chattogram Port to foreign firms will be resisted: Anu Muhammad

Economist and rights activist Professor Anu Muhammad has warned that any attempt to hand over management of Chattogram Port to a foreign company will be met with strong public resistance, saying national ports must be operated by national institutions to protect the country's sovereignty and strategic interests.

"Chattogram Port must be managed under national institutions, not by any foreign entity," he said. "Like Singapore, Bangladesh has the capacity to develop and manage its ports efficiently with its own expertise. If handed over to foreign companies, it will pose serious risks to national security and strategic interests. People of Chattogram and across the country must unite to resist this conspiracy."

He made the remarks while addressing a discussion titled "National Capability and National Security: Chattogram Port and Bangladesh's Development Context" at the seminar hall of the Zia Memorial Museum in the port city today (11 October). The event was jointly organised by the Democratic Rights Committee and the Democratic Rights Movement.

Prof Anu accused the interim government of showing "stubbornness" by moving ahead with plans to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to UAE-based DP World without tender or public consultation, despite widespread public opposition.

"The chief adviser earlier declared that those opposing foreign involvement in the port would be resisted. Now, Chattogram police have imposed a one-month ban on all meetings and gatherings in the port area," he said. "Even after a people's uprising, the current government continues to speak the same autocratic language as the previous Hasina regime."

He said the Constitution Reform Committee, formed by the interim government itself, had recommended holding broad discussions before signing any international agreement. "Ignoring that advice, the government is moving to lease out the port to a foreign company—without any consultation or tender," he added.

Referring to DP World, Prof Anu said, "Although DP World is based in the UAE, in reality it serves American strategic interests. Because of the geopolitical and military importance of this region, the US is now closely watching Bangladesh. That's why handing over such a vital national asset like Chattogram Port to a foreign company is unacceptable."

Drawing parallels to previous regimes, he said, "When people questioned projects like Rampal or Rooppur, we were told not to worry because Sheikh Hasina was in charge. No questions, no tenders, no transparency needed. Now, we hear the same tone from Dr Muhammad Yunus and his supporters—'Don't worry, everything will be fine.' Once again, the same justification is being used to push a deal with DP World without tender."

Prothom Alo Joint Editor Bishwajit Chowdhury recalled that in 1997, the Hasina government had signed a controversial 198-year lease agreement to hand over Chattogram Port operations to the US company SSA, but the deal was later scrapped following widespread protests led by the left and the city's civil society. "Now, the interim government seems determined to repeat that mistake," he said.

He cited Djibouti's experience as a cautionary tale, saying the East African country is still struggling to recover from a lease deal with DP World that it later revoked. "Who gave the current government the mandate to hand over a strategic national asset to foreign control?" he asked.

Former Chattogram Port CBA secretary and labour leader Sheikh Nurullah Bahar accused the government of prioritising private and foreign interests over national ones. "The interim government is enforcing foreign agendas by suppressing workers through the same repressive laws enacted under Sheikh Hasina's rule," he said. "Meetings and rallies have been banned inside and around the port, and the port authority has directed police to stop any assembly. This goes against the spirit of the 2024 people's movement."

He warned, "If necessary, workers and employees of Chattogram Port will lay down their lives to resist any conspiracy to hand over the port to foreign companies."

Port expert Halima Khatun and engineer Sinchan Bhowmik also shared their views at the meeting.