President
Corruption has weakened cooperative movement
Photo: President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for renewed efforts to strengthen the cooperative movement. He also stressed the need to eliminate corruption from cooperative societies, improve their operational capacity and take effective initiatives to market their products.
He made the remarks while addressing the 55th National Cooperative Day 2026 celebration as the chief guest at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Sunday morning.
The president said, “Most cooperative societies have been ruined because of corruption within them. Their activities have also weakened. Now only a handful of societies are operating successfully. Yet the country has a long history of the cooperative movement. To make this movement successful, the societies must be made corruption-free.”
Highlighting the history of the cooperative movement, Mirza Fakhrul said it began in 1904 and continued for a long time. At one point, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, the proclaimer of independence, gave special importance to cooperatives. He took initiatives to incorporate cooperatives into his efforts to build a self-reliant Bangladesh.
The president said Ziaur Rahman brought Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan, a pioneer of Bangladesh’s cooperative movement, back from Pakistan in the 1960s. He appointed him director general of the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) and involved him in the cooperative movement. This created opportunities for the movement to advance.
According to a report by BSS, the president also highlighted former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s contributions and various initiatives in the cooperative sector. He expressed hope that the sector would become more dynamic under the leadership of the current government.
Referring to successful cooperative initiatives in the past, Mirza Fakhrul said, “Unfortunately, that position of the cooperative movement no longer exists. The movement has gradually fallen behind. The same level of importance and attention that it once received is no longer visible.”
To overcome the situation, he called for amending and updating relevant laws to facilitate the development and expansion of the cooperative sector. He also stressed the need to take necessary measures to help cooperative societies survive by competing with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country.
The president said, “NGO activities in Bangladesh have progressed quite successfully. As a result, the cooperative movement has fallen behind. Cooperative institutions now have to compete with NGOs. Measures must be taken to ensure that cooperative societies develop the capacity to compete and survive.”
Calling on the relevant ministries to take effective steps to market products manufactured by cooperative institutions, he said, “There are major problems in marketing the products manufactured by cooperative institutions. In this regard, the Department of Cooperatives and the ministry can take initiatives. Cooperative-based companies could be formed to help societies market these products.”
He added that there was a significant shortage of such initiatives in Bangladesh. It was essential to address this gap in product marketing.
Stressing that the fundamental concept of cooperatives was working together, the president said everyone must unite to overcome various challenges and move the country forward. He called for working together to confront the plots and conspiracies aimed at holding the country back.
Mirza Fakhrul praised successful cooperative individuals and institutions at the event. He said, “I recently had the opportunity to visit the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development in Bogura. They are doing very good work there. Today, I was very pleased to see the activities and progress of several successful cooperatives at this event. They are truly doing excellent work.”
Thanking cooperative members, the president said, “It is not enough to simply sustain the cooperative movement. It must be taken further forward. To achieve this, the cooperative movement must be presented more widely to the people of the country.”
The event was chaired by Mir Shah Alam, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. AKM Selim Reza Habib, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the ministry; Dr Rafiqul E Mohammad, secretary of the ministry; and Md Abdus Salam, president of the Bangladesh National Cooperative Union, also spoke at the event.
Selim Fakir, registrar and director general of the Department of Cooperatives, delivered the welcome address.
The theme of this year’s Cooperative Day, organized by the Department of Cooperatives, was “We Will Build Cooperatives, We Will Build the Country. Bangladesh for All.”
The president handed over awards and crests to successful cooperative members at the event. Before the program began, he visited various stalls at the venue.
