Last Friday, the outgoing passenger terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport had turned into a sea of Malaysia-bound jobseekers. Hundreds of them carrying valid visas and no-objection certificates from appropriate government authorities thronged the airport but failed to fly to Malaysia for not having tickets. May 31 (Friday) was the deadline set by the Malaysian government for foreign workers to enter Malaysia.
The job-seekers waited for a couple of days at the airport with the hope that the recruiting agencies would provide them with tickets before the expiry of the deadline, but their hope was dashed. Many of them had broken into tears as they spoke to newsmen about their plight. Each of them spent between Taka four to five lakhs to get their dream job. As they come mainly from poor and low-income families living in districts across the country, they managed funds either by selling lands or borrowing from friends, relatives or non-governmental organisations. The recruiting agencies or their agents in many cases have melted into thin air to avoid paying back their money. The agencies realised money from the Malaysia-bound workers in amounts that were five to seven times the charges fixed by the government.
Failing to withstand shock, a jobseeker hailing from Brahmanbaria went missing from Upakul Express while returning home with his father. He is suspected to have committed suicide by jumping from the train.
What is the number of workers who could not fly to Malaysia within the deadline? Unofficial reports say it is more than 30,000. Minister of State for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Shofiqur Rahman Chowdhury, however, claimed that about 17,000 workers could not fly out. The state minister has reportedly appealed to the Malaysian government to grant a special one-off period so that these workers could enter Malaysia. He cited reasons such as cyclone Remal, lack of flights and poor coordination by recruiting agents that have prevented many from travelling to Malaysia.
The Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) could be responsible, as it did not cooperate with us and give the list of names of workers with valid visas, Malaysian online portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) quoted Mr Chowdhury as saying. The Bangladesh government has formed a six-member committee to probe the whole incident.
The truth is both Bangladesh and Malaysian governments are responsible for putting thousands of jobseekers into deep trouble. A sizeable number of them have not gone back home and are staying in Dhaka with the hope that they might get yet another chance. It all depends on the good gesture of the Malaysian government.
The whole incident is a scam. The Malaysian authorities had notified back in January this year about the deadline for entering Malaysia by foreign workers. The relevant ministry allegedly made it known to the recruiters in the middle of the last month. Why did the ministry sit on the information? The recruiting agencies and their agents rushed the jobseekers from their homes at the last moment, leading to a severe crisis of tickets and flights.
What is more intriguing is the selection of a handful of recruiting agencies in Bangladesh by the Malaysian authorities for recruitment instead of keeping it open for all recruiters having valid licences. The Bangladesh government did want to keep recruitment open for all eligible firms, but its Malaysian counterpart reportedly turned down the proposal. This development had given rise to opportunities for a handful of recruiters to exploit jobseekers most of whom are illiterate or half-educated and come from villages.
From the very beginning, the export of Bangladeshi manpower to Malaysia has been mired in problems of various sorts. Irregularities involving fees have been rampant. On several occasions in the past, Malaysia had suspended recruitment of Bangladeshi workers because of corruption on both sides. About two years back, it again decided to take workers from Bangladesh. But recruitment failed to pick up pace again because of irregularities.
The Malaysian Ambassador, while speaking to the press late last week, lamented that recruiters on both sides had been unmanageable.
Several hundred Bangladeshi workers who could reach Kuala Lumpur within the deadline were languishing at the airport, for none from their employers turned up to receive them. The Bangladesh High Commissioner in Malaysia expressed his frustration for not being able to extend any assistance to those workers for restrictions at the airport.
Some Middle Eastern countries have been employing Bangladeshi workers in large numbers for decades. Workers face problems in these countries as well. But, with Malaysia, the problem is enormous and appears to be a built-in one.
Malaysia is one of the major sources of remittance earnings for Bangladesh. The Southeast Asian country most likely will drive out illegal migrant workers and Bangladeshis constitute a big part of them. If that happens, Bangladesh is likely to lose a sizeable remittance income. The loss could be largely compensated if all the workers with valid visas were allowed to enter Malaysia.
The government should pick up the issue with its Malaysian counterpart and help the workers enter Malaysia. Providing citizens with jobs at home is the constitutional obligation of the government. But millions are unemployed. The government, at least, should try hard to secure jobs outside the country. If successful, the country will also benefit as extra foreign currencies will flow into its kitty during this difficult time.
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