FE Report
About 0.25 million Rohingya people travelled abroad so far with Bangladesh passports and created an image crisis for the country, said Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam on Saturday.
"Many Rohingya people holding Bangladesh passports are involved in criminal activities abroad. As a result, Bangladeshi workers are facing an image crisis," he said.
The Rohingya somehow managed passports with the help of a section of dishonest officials. Although they went abroad for jobs using Bangladeshi passports, they remitted their money to Myanmar, he added.
The minister was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 'World Conference Series 2018: Come and Build your Motherland' organised by the Centre for Non Resident Bangladeshis (Centre for NRB) at a city hotel.
About the Malaysian job market, Mr Islam claimed there was no syndicate of recruiting agencies on the Bangladesh side. It was happening at the Malaysian end.
"Malaysia chose certain recruiting agencies to hire workers from abroad. We could not oppose the decision that much for the sake of getting the market opened up," he added.
But now the government is trying to bust this syndicate and give all eligible manpower recruitment agencies a chance, he added.
His ministry sent a proposal to the Prime Minister's Office pleading for a premium in the exchange rate for migrants' remittances so that they are encouraged to send their hard-earned money home through the legal channel.
Economist Hossain Zillur Rahman said it is necessary to tap the migrant Bangladeshis as the new driver of economic growth in the country as they have remittances, new ideas and knowledge.
For the last 25 to 30 years, Bangladesh's economic growth has been dependent on readymade
garment (RMG). But now it is needed to create a new driver of growth.
Mr Rahman also emphasised migration of skilled workers to increase the flow of remittance.
Former minister Sheikh Shahidul Islam also stressed the need for increasing the number of skilled outbound workers.
He also said professionals like doctors and engineers should not go abroad as they can enrich the nation with their knowledge.
M S Shekil Chowdhury, chairperson of the Centre for NRB, presided over the programme. Abu Hena Mohd. Razee Hassan, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, and Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin), president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), among others, spoke on the occasion.
A total of 10 commercial banks including Islami, Agrani, Sonali and Janata have been awarded at the programme following their outstanding performances in receiving remittances from workers abroad.
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