Dynamic missions needed in the Middle East
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Dr Mohammed Hossain
WORKING in Qatar as an expatriate, I have the understanding that Bangladesh's diplomatic relationship with the Middle East countries lacks professional handling. It does not help us protect our interest or create a good environment for our workers. The Bangladeshi missions in the region lack in initiative to create labour markets for Bangladesh. Bangladeshi expatriate labour unrest in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia was reported in the media. It took Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit the region four times to solve the problem. The performance of the missions in the area is questionable.
The objective of this write-up is not criticism of the role of Bangladesh missions. Rather, it is for an improvement of prospects for Bangladeshi workers in the Middle East. Skilled and unskilled workers from countries like India, Pakistan, and Nepal captured the job markets in the region. In terms of performance Bangladesh lags far behind although it has no dearth of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The unskilled Bangladeshi workers send home a huge amount of foreign exchange each year. A failure to utilise Bangladesh's skilled and semi-skilled workers to the optimum causes a huge annual loss. Bangladesh could overcome the problem by handling the situation judiciously.
To capture the ME job markets Bangladesh must take diplomatic as well as non-diplomatic initiatives.
In the appointment of ambassadors, especially in the Middle East, an understanding of the culture, business, education and job environment in the host countries should be essential. Ambassadors in the region have to have deeper knowledge and understanding of the region.
A top businessman as an ambassador in an ME country would act differently. A businessman would naturally interact more effectively with the business groups in a host country. So a businessman ambassador would be able to create better economic relations with the host country and pave the way for appropriate labour export. Besides, the government can also appoint senior lawmakers as ambassadors for better performance. Many people think that the usual foreign service officers, lacking initiative and drive, would be unsuitable in the Middle East region although they are good in routine protocol duties. They are said to perform poorly when it comes to public relations.
(The writer is an Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Qatar University, Doha. He can be reached at e-mail: hossain_mohammad@hotmail.com)
WORKING in Qatar as an expatriate, I have the understanding that Bangladesh's diplomatic relationship with the Middle East countries lacks professional handling. It does not help us protect our interest or create a good environment for our workers. The Bangladeshi missions in the region lack in initiative to create labour markets for Bangladesh. Bangladeshi expatriate labour unrest in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia was reported in the media. It took Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit the region four times to solve the problem. The performance of the missions in the area is questionable.
The objective of this write-up is not criticism of the role of Bangladesh missions. Rather, it is for an improvement of prospects for Bangladeshi workers in the Middle East. Skilled and unskilled workers from countries like India, Pakistan, and Nepal captured the job markets in the region. In terms of performance Bangladesh lags far behind although it has no dearth of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. The unskilled Bangladeshi workers send home a huge amount of foreign exchange each year. A failure to utilise Bangladesh's skilled and semi-skilled workers to the optimum causes a huge annual loss. Bangladesh could overcome the problem by handling the situation judiciously.
To capture the ME job markets Bangladesh must take diplomatic as well as non-diplomatic initiatives.
In the appointment of ambassadors, especially in the Middle East, an understanding of the culture, business, education and job environment in the host countries should be essential. Ambassadors in the region have to have deeper knowledge and understanding of the region.
A top businessman as an ambassador in an ME country would act differently. A businessman would naturally interact more effectively with the business groups in a host country. So a businessman ambassador would be able to create better economic relations with the host country and pave the way for appropriate labour export. Besides, the government can also appoint senior lawmakers as ambassadors for better performance. Many people think that the usual foreign service officers, lacking initiative and drive, would be unsuitable in the Middle East region although they are good in routine protocol duties. They are said to perform poorly when it comes to public relations.
(The writer is an Assistant Professor, Department of Accounting and Information Systems, Qatar University, Doha. He can be reached at e-mail: hossain_mohammad@hotmail.com)