Ship breakers assoc elects new leadership after months-long legal deadlock, PHP’s Mohsin elected president

The Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA) today (4 July) held its biennial election after months of legal disputes that had delayed the polls, electing a new leadership to represent the country’s ship recycling industry.

PHP Family Vice Chairman Mohammad Mohsin Chowdhury was elected president unopposed.

The election was held from 9am to 1pm at the Radisson Blu Chattogram Bay View, with results announced around 2pm by Election Board Chairman Md Aftab Uddin after vote counting.

Mohammad Selim Uddin was elected senior vice-president, while Md Nuruddin Rubel and Gazi Mokarram Ali Chowdhury were elected vice-presidents.

The newly elected executive members are Md Jahedul Haque, Md Taslim Uddin, SM Nurun Nabi, Md Ferdous Wahid, Obaida Asadi, Hosainul Arefin and AKM Saifullah Sayeed.

A total of 71 members cast their ballots out of 84 eligible voters.

Fourteen candidates contested for 11 positions in the association’s executive committee, while the presidency was decided uncontested.

The election marked the end of a prolonged legal impasse over the eligibility of former BSBRA president Amzad Hossain Chowdhury, whose nomination was rejected after the Election Board declared him a loan defaulter based on a Credit Information Bureau (CIB) report issued by Bangladesh Bank.

Although the High Court initially declared his candidature valid, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court later stayed that order, ultimately declaring his nomination invalid and allowing the election process to resume.

Amzad’s final attempt to suspend the election through a supplementary writ petition was dismissed by the High Court on Thursday, clearing the last legal hurdle for Saturday’s polls.

The election was originally scheduled for 25 October last year but was postponed after the then Election Board resigned in September, citing its inability to discharge its duties independently because of what it described as undue interference by Amzad.

Following allegations of organisational irregularities, the Ministry of Commerce removed Amzad from the presidency and, in February this year, appointed Abu Safayat Muhammad Shahe Dul Islam, secretary of the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation, as administrator of the association.

The administrator later formed a new Election Board and Election Appeal Board in March, paving the way for the long-awaited election.