BASIS Breakdown: Bangladesh’s IT Trade Body on the Brink
The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), once considered the most dynamic commercial body in the country’s ICT sector, has come to a near standstill. Following the resignation of the administrator and the dissolution of the support committee, all operational services of the association have ceased.
In the midst of this organizational paralysis, key personnel including BASIS Secretary Hashim Ahmed, Joint Secretary Enamul Hafiz Latifi, Deputy Manager (HR & Admin) Fatematuz Zohra Asha, and Head of IT Masudur Rahman have resigned from their positions. Senior Software Engineer Mehedi Hasan Zargis is set to leave by June. All have attributed their resignations to the prevailing uncertainty within the organization.
The situation has taken a more critical turn for the 35 remaining staff members at the BASIS Secretariat, of whom 10 are women and 25 are sole earners for their families. One such employee, Bibi Kulsum Lipi—a physically challenged, fatherless woman—supports a six-member household including a brother with a congenital condition. For these 35 families, the upcoming Eid celebration remains clouded in uncertainty.
Despite having funds in BASIS’s account, the absence of authorized signatories has made even routine expenses difficult to manage. Letters have been sent twice to the Directorate of Trade Organizations (DTO) under the Ministry of Commerce, but no resolution had been reached as of the filing of this report. Due to a court injunction, the Ministry’s DTO division is also unable to appoint a new administrator.
Emerging from a two-day hospital stay, Muhammad Rehan Uddin, the Director General (Joint Secretary, additional charge) of the Trade Organization Division of the Ministry of Commerce, told DigiBanglaTech.News that they have approached the court through legal counsel to address the humanitarian crisis. “We are taking initiatives to ensure the employees receive their salaries and allowances before Eid. I hope we’ll be able to deliver some good news this week or early next week,” he said.
“The court is also humane,” he added. “We’ve brought the employees’ letters to the court’s attention and are hopeful for a speedy resolution.”
Meanwhile, Taufiqul Karim Suhrit, a BASIS member and petitioner in the ongoing litigation, said, “It’s a misunderstanding that a new administrator cannot be appointed due to the court order. According to the chamber judge’s directive, the DTO can appoint an administrator if desired. There is no legal barrier as the earlier ruling was stayed and only concerned a previous cancellation notice. My petition was aimed at reinstating the elected committee.”
Former BASIS President Habibullah Naimul Karim stated that structural reforms within BASIS are nearly complete. “While the organizational reforms have begun, the financial and member audits will take time. Although the court order has created some uncertainty, we hope to resolve the issue during the Eid holidays. If not, the sector could face a major setback. Resolving the administrative crisis is crucial,” he said.
BASIS Senior Manager (Events and Procurement) Md. Monirul Haque confirmed that a detailed list of outstanding salaries, bonuses, and operational expenses was submitted to the DTO on May 26. “We have money in the bank. But without signatories, we can’t access the funds—not even to cover basic office expenses. Our website hosting fee with Google has a pending charge of BDT 615,000 as of May 20. After much negotiation, we received a one-month extension to settle the dues,” he added.
Chowdhury Fatima Rokon Tuli, the most senior employee at the BASIS Secretariat and Head of Member Services, stated that all member-oriented services have been pending since the dissolution of the governing body on May 1. “Around 250 new membership applications are on hold. Services such as co-branded credit cards, dollar endorsements, loan recommendations, and tax and VAT exemption letters are suspended. BASIS, once a vibrant trade body, is now on life support.”
Former BASIS President M. Rashidul Hasan emphasized the urgency of elections. “The administrator was supposed to take this forward. We’ve discussed in the President’s Forum that elections must be held promptly to restore BASIS’s member-centric focus. Right now, our hands are tied. Only the government can solve this problem.”
General members of BASIS have expressed concern over being deprived of incentives and losing both domestic and international business opportunities due to halted services. “The longer this persists, the more devastating it will be. We are now constrained by legal red tape. Banks are also creating obstacles due to the organization’s inactive status, jeopardizing many of our businesses,” they said.
Former BASIS Support Committee Chairman and Executive Director of DNS Group, Rafel Kabir, stressed the need for urgent action. “I didn’t resign suddenly. I had announced a month ago my intention to step down. But after I did, BASIS collapsed like a house of cards. I’ve resumed discussions with stakeholders to resolve the situation. We even tried to arrange salaries for the secretariat staff ourselves, but that’s not a sustainable solution. The Ministry of Commerce must immediately arrange salary disbursements. Other matters can wait until after Eid.”
Following the student-led uprising last year, the government appointed Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council, as BASIS administrator on December 4. A support committee led by Rafel Kabir was also formed to manage daily operations. However, the support committee was dissolved on April 30, and the administrator resigned on May 4, leaving BASIS in an administrative vacuum.
