Tough measures needed to protect factories, economy: Hassan Ariff

Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Adviser AF Hassan Ariff said strict action against certain individuals has to be taken to safeguard the country’s factories, workers, and economy. 

He made these remarks following a meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday (September 4) concerning the labour unrest.

The meeting, chaired by Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, was also attended by law adviser Asif Nazrul, fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhtar, industries adviser Adilur Rahman, and labour and employment Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan.

"Real workers won’t destroy their own livelihood," said Hassan Ariff. "We’re seeing that the chaos is being caused by outsiders, not genuine workers. If the workers can identify and stop them, we’ll support them fully. But these infiltrators are so deeply embedded that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish them."

He said that the true workers are not responsible for the turmoil, questioning who would benefit from the destruction of local factories. "We need to be firmer in dealing with those who are causing the trouble," he added.

Ariff highlighted the government's general reluctance to use force against its citizens but noted that the current situation demands decisive action to protect the economy. "If we need to save our factories, workers, and the economy, we might have to take strong measures against a few individuals," he said.

When asked about the potential actions, Ariff said, "We’re still considering our options. This might involve arrests or detentions. If 50 people block the streets, 500,000 people suffer. If it comes to that, we’ll use batons or water cannons to restore order."

On the issue of top terrorist Sweden Aslam’s release from jail, Ariff responded, "I haven’t heard about Aslam being released, but we’ll need to investigate why that might be happening."