পুঁজিবাজারে সাম্প্রতিক অস্থিরতার পেছনে নিয়ন্ত্রক সংস্থা সিকিউরিটিজ অ্যান্ড এক্সচেঞ্জ কমিশন (এসইসি) এবং তার নিজেরও ভুল ছিল বলে স্বীকার করলেন অর্থমন্ত্রী আবুল মাল আবদুল মুহিত। শুক্রবার অর্থ মন্ত্রণালয়ের সম্মেলন কক্ষে সাংবাদিকদের প্রশ্নের জবাবে তিনি এ কথা বলেন। অর্থমন্ত্রী বলেন, "শেয়ারবাজারে অস্থিরতার পেছনে নিশ্চয়ই এসইসি'র ভুল ছিলো। নয়তো এ রকম হতো না। ভুল আমারো ছিল। ভুলগুলো চিহ্নিত করার চেষ্টা করা হচ্ছে।" এর আগে কানাডার আন্তর্জাতিক উন্নয়ন বিষয়ক মন্ত্রী বেভারলি জে ওড়ার সঙ্গে বৈঠক করেন মন্ত্রী। ওই বৈঠক শেষে তিনি সাংবাদিকদের সঙ্গে পুঁজিবাজার বিষয়ে কথা বলেন। ১৯৯৬-এ পুঁজিবাজারে ব্যাপক ধসের ঘটনা স্মরণ করে মন্ত্রী বলেন, "আমি ওই সময়ের কারসাজির বিচারের উদ্যোগ নিয়েছিলাম। তবে সাক্ষীর অভাবে বিচার শুরু করা যায়নি।" বর্তমানে বিনিয়োগকারীদের আস্থাহীনতাকে শেয়ারবাজারের সবচেয়ে বড় সমস্যা হিসাবে চিহ্নিত করেন মন্ত্রী। মুহিত বলেন, "আস্থা থাকলে পুঁজিবাজারে স্বাভাবিক ওঠানামা হতে পারে। তবে এ ধরনের ধপাস পড়ে যাওয়ার কথা না।" বর্তমান পরিস্থিতির কারণে রাষ্ট্রায়ত্ত কয়েকটি প্রতিষ্ঠানের শেয়ার বাজারে ছাড়া যাচ্ছে না বলেও মন্তব্য করেন তিনি। অর্থমন্ত্রী জানান, রোববার এসইসি ও 'স্টেকহোল্ডারদের' সঙ্গে বৈঠক করবেন তিনি। দুই-এক দিনের মধ্যে পরিস্থিতি স্বাভাবিক হয়ে আসবে বলেও তিনি আশা প্রকাশ করেন। পুঁজিবাজারে পরিস্থিতি সামাল দিতে এসইসি বুধবার মূল্যসূচকে সার্কিট ব্রেকার আরোপ করে। কিন্তু তাতেও পরিস্থিতির উন্নতি হয়নি। সর্বশেষ বৃহস্পতিবার লেনদেন শুরুর মাত্র পাঁচ মিনিটের মধ্যে সূচক ৫৮৭ পয়েন্ট পড়ে যায়। ফলে লেনদেন বন্ধ হয়ে যায়। এতে ঢাকাসহ সারাদেশে বিক্ষোভ শুরু করে বিনিয়োগকারীরা।
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday admitted that there was apparently something amiss from his side and also the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in controlling the volatile market and creating confidence among the investors.
“Apparently, there was something amiss from the SEC. I must have also erred. We are trying to identify the mistakes,” Muhith said while speaking to reporters at the Finance Division conference room.
On the continued fall in share prices over the last few days, he said they would try their best to avoid making mistakes in future. “We’ll have to find something in next two days.”
The finance minister said he would sit with the stakeholders on Sunday to discuss the present situation of the volatile capital market.
Blaming the institutional investors, he said the institutional investors reaped the benefits, and have now disappeared from the scene.
Muhith said: “Liquidity is not the problem in the market, the problem is of confidence. It is our major duty now to instill confidence among the investors.”
He said the SEC made changes in its decisions to create confidence but it did not work. “The main duty now will be to create confidence to bring back stability. Correction is a normal thing in the market, but that should come gradually.”
Replying to a question, the finance minister said the stock market is not overheated. “But one may say it is overheated after seeing the market movements in the last 4-5 weeks with so many ups and downs.”
Asked about the government’s hunt for the manipulators, he said they are looking for the manipulators.
Replying to another question, Muhith said after assuming the office he took the initiative to bring the culprits of the 1996 share market debacle to justice. The problem was to find witnesses as no one wants to be testified. “A case is already there, but if there is no witness how we’ll proceed.”
He said that the state owned enterprises (SoEs) could have offloaded their shares but they did not do so. “It is unfortunate.”
The finance minister observed that the circuit breaker and the margin loan facility also did not have much impact in stabilizing the market.
He told a questioner that creating confidence among the investors not only depends on government tools. “It is more than that. We are trying to find a way out.”
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday admitted that there was apparently something amiss from his side and also the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in controlling the volatile market and creating confidence among the investors.
“Apparently, there was something amiss from the SEC. I must have also erred. We are trying to identify the mistakes,” Muhith said while speaking to reporters at the Finance Division conference room.
On the continued fall in share prices over the last few days, he said they would try their best to avoid making mistakes in future. “We’ll have to find something in next two days.”
The finance minister said he would sit with the stakeholders on Sunday to discuss the present situation of the volatile capital market.
Blaming the institutional investors, he said the institutional investors reaped the benefits, and have now disappeared from the scene.
Muhith said: “Liquidity is not the problem in the market, the problem is of confidence. It is our major duty now to instill confidence among the investors.”
He said the SEC made changes in its decisions to create confidence but it did not work. “The main duty now will be to create confidence to bring back stability. Correction is a normal thing in the market, but that should come gradually.”
Replying to a question, the finance minister said the stock market is not overheated. “But one may say it is overheated after seeing the market movements in the last 4-5 weeks with so many ups and downs.”
Asked about the government’s hunt for the manipulators, he said they are looking for the manipulators.
Replying to another question, Muhith said after assuming the office he took the initiative to bring the culprits of the 1996 share market debacle to justice. The problem was to find witnesses as no one wants to be testified. “A case is already there, but if there is no witness how we’ll proceed.”
He said that the state owned enterprises (SoEs) could have offloaded their shares but they did not do so. “It is unfortunate.”
The finance minister observed that the circuit breaker and the margin loan facility also did not have much impact in stabilizing the market.
He told a questioner that creating confidence among the investors not only depends on government tools. “It is more than that. We are trying to find a way out.”