Dr. Mehedi Hasan, The New Administrator of BASIS
The Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has been placed under administration, joining the Bangladesh Computer Samity and the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) in similar oversight. Dr. Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, an additional director in the ICT Division's Digital Governance and Security Subdivision, has been appointed as the administrator. His primary responsibility is to conduct a fair election within 120 days and hand over responsibilities to the elected committee while reporting to the Ministry of Commerce.
This decision, formalized through an order signed by Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, an additional secretary and director general of the Ministry of Commerce, comes amidst allegations of irregularities in BASIS governance. The resignation of its President, Russell T. Ahmed, on October 17, and Vice President (Finance), Iqbal Ahmed Fakhrul Hasan, on October 19, had further complicated matters. However, these resignations were not officially reported to the Ministry, and subsequent attempts to restructure the board were deemed flawed.
A prior hearing in November, initiated following a complaint by BASIS member Fauzia Sultana, led the government to conclude that the organization had failed to resolve its internal issues satisfactorily. The unrest within BASIS has reportedly impacted the ICT sector's stability and posed risks to the broader economy. Additionally, allegations from anti-discrimination ICT entrepreneurs and engineers highlighted further dissatisfaction with BASIS’s operations.
Meanwhile, the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) remains the only major ICT organization yet to come under administration. However, industry insiders suggest that ISPAB might also face administrative oversight due to recent internet blackouts attributed to the association.
BASIS EC Clarifications on Board Dissolution and Administrator Appointment
Dhaka, 4 December 2024: In light of a letter received from the Director General of the Trade Organisation (DTO) Wing of the Ministry of Commerce, the BASIS Executive Council 2024-26 has provided an explanation clarifying their position regarding the dissolution of the Executive Council and administrator appointment.
According to the memorandum no. 26.00.0000.157.33.028.98.795 from the Ministry of Commerce's DTO wing, an office order was issued on 4 December 2024. The order mentions the resignation letters of BASIS President Russell T. Ahmed and Vice President (Finance) Iqbal Ahmed Fakrul Hasan were not submitted to the DTO.
It is noteworthy that on 24 October 2024, through memorandum no. BASIS/DTO/9649/24, the DTO was officially informed that these individuals had resigned from the BASIS Executive Council for personal reasons. Again, on 10 November 2024, through memorandum no. BASIS/DTO/9669/24, DTO was notified about the resignation. On 18 November 2024, through memorandum no.
BASIS/DTO/Hearing/9679(3)/24, a three-page detailed description was submitted to the Ministry of Commerce, which included resignation letters and relevant documents. In addition, at the 332nd Executive Council meeting held on 30 October 2024, a decision was unanimously made to reconstitute the Executive Council through a regulatory process, and this matter was appropriately communicated to the concerned authorities.
Another paragraph in the mentioned office order refers to Former President of BASIS, Russell T. Ahmed's absence from the hearing and failure to provide any response. However, it is crucial to clarify that during the said hearing, Russell T. Ahmed was not a member of the BASIS Executive Council. He officially submitted his resignation to BASIS Secretariat on 17 October 2024, which was later properly communicated to the relevant authorities, as mentioned earlier. Consequently, after his resignation, he had no official role or responsibility in the Executive Council, and thus his presence or involvement in the hearing was not necessary.
Furthermore, the allegation of lack of coordination in the current Executive Council' activities, as mentioned in the office order, is baseless and calls into question the efficiency and transparency of BASIS operations. The current Executive Council has successfully organized over 100 meetings, seminars, and workshops in the past four months. Each activity has been implemented with extremely specific goals and timely planning.
The explanation of several pieces of information clarifying their position has been sent via email to the DTO today. All the aforementioned information and data are also preserved in the BASIS Secretariat.
