Fear chasing the wage earners
Syed Fattahul Alim | Wednesday, 4 June 2008
THE news that the Bahrain government has imposed a temporary ban on issuing work permits to Bangladeshis has come as a shocker for us all. But the worries do not end here. At the same time, those expatriate Bangladeshi workers who are now in Bahrain, but whose visa or work permit expired on May 27 and have applied for renewal of the same will also come under the ambit of the temporary ban.
However, in the beginning there is a lot of tension over the report of the ban. There were fears that the ban includes also the expatriates already in jobs and whose visas or work permits would be required to go through the uncertain process of further renewal
Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Charge d' Affaires in Bahrain met with the home minister of that country Sheikh Rashed Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa with a letter from the foreign adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury requesting the former to relax the temporary ban on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.
These are certainly issues of serious concern for Bangladesh because a sizeable portion of our foreign currency earning comes from the remittances sent home by our wage earners living in different parts of the world. And what is alarming is that the largest chunk of these foreign currency earners for Bangladesh works in the different countries of Middle East.
The Bangladesh foreign mission in Bahrain is reported to have been working hard to limit the damage already done by assuring the authorities there that everything would be done to remove the cause that has prompted the Bahrain government to go for such a harsh decision against Bangladeshi jobseekers willing to work in Bahrain.
But what wrong have the Bangladeshi workers committed in Bahrain to invite such wrath from the authorities there? And it is not only the government; as if to pile on the agony, even some lawmakers of that country have urged their government to expel all the Bangladeshi workers now residing in that country.
There must be reason for such developments and the government must leave no stone unturned to change the mind of the authorities of that otherwise friendly Muslim country where some 86,000 Bangladeshis work and send a good sum of remittance in return.
The tragic incidents that triggered such misgivings about Bangladeshis working in that particular Gulf state involve the acts of homicide committed by some apparently rogue Bangladeshis residing in that country as wage earners. The first incident happened in 2006 when a Bangladeshi cook named Mizan Noor Al Rahman Ayoub Miyah killed a Bahrain fashion designer Sana Al Jalahama. The cook was sentenced to death by firing squad. However, the execution of the sentence was waiting until the second such incident in which a Bangladeshi resident of that country committed the heinous act of murdering another citizen of Bahrain. This time the murderer was a mechanic who last week killed Mohammed Jassim Dossary, a Bahrain national. It is this latest act of homicide by a Bangladeshi in Bahrain that has prompted the Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to issue the necessary permission last Thursday to go ahead with the execution of the already sentenced Bangladeshi national.
The question does not arise in this context to request the Bahrain government to commute the death sentence of the Bangladeshi who has been found guilty of murder according to the law of that land. And now with the second act of murder committed by a Bangladeshi, all fingers are being pointed at all the Bangladeshis working there, who are otherwise known for their industry, sincerity and loyalty in the Middle East as elsewhere in the world.
The Charge d' Affaires of Bangladesh embassy in Bahrain, however, has been trying his level best to convince the Bahrain authorities that the incidents were isolated ones and that the government at home would mount strict security measures to screen out persons with criminal record, if any, among those seeking job in Bahrain. The Bangladeshi diplomat's suggestion to the host government came in the wake of latter's move to deny further entry of Bangladeshi workers in Bahrain. The proposal further assures the host government to the effect that the records of all the Bangladeshis now working in Bahrain will also be checked to ensure if any of them have any criminal record against them back at home. Understandably, necessary action would follow if any of those residing in Bahrain at the moment is found to have any questionable past.
Things have come to such a pass that the Bangladeshi expatriates now living in that country are in a constant fear of losing their residency status there, especially after the unconfirmed report was in the wind that their visas have also to be renewed. Apart from the apprehension that their visas might be denied any further extension, the worst part of the worry was that all the visas of or work permits for even the same family were not issued at a single date. However, after the Foreign Affairs Advisers' letter to the Home Minister of Bahrain and the latter's assurance that those already in job in that country would not be affected, they got a new lease of life there.
Interestingly though, these very people have been doing their jobs with such a good reputation for so many years in return for a few dinars they earn there and part of which they send home for their families. The contribution of the Bangladeshi expatriates in the economies of the host countries is also enormous, though its recognition is up to the perception of the people and the governments concerned.
The expatriates, especially those employed in low-skill jobs, live a very hard life. They also work under very harsh conditions. The employers, too, are not always ideal. The condition of the underdogs is same anywhere in the world. So, it would not be surprising, if a low-paid worker such as a domestic help is maltreated at the hands of his or her employer. As it always takes two to tango, it may so happen that the suppressed grievance and anger of the employee have led to a tragic end. This is not to say that it is exactly such circumstances that had led to the instances of homicide committed by the expatriate Bangladeshis in question. But what is being noted here is that it is not always due to a criminal bent of mind that a person may chose the violent way. Whatever the case, it must have to be kept in mind that Bangladeshi expatriates are selling their service to their employers abroad and it is their job to keep their customers happy at all costs. They must obey the law of the land and face the music in default. At the same time it would also not be fair to judge the entire Bangladeshi community for the fault of a few rogue elements.
The foreign adviser, who expressed his deep regret to the Bahrain's home minister for the sad incident of murdering a citizen of that country, however, echoed a similar sentiment when he earlier said that the whole nation cannot be punished for the crime of a single person. Amid this ambience of negative imaging of Bangladeshi workers following the sad episode in Bahrain, there is still reason to take heart.
A local human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, however, has tried to touch the sympathetic chord of the people and government of that country by raising the issue of fair trial of the convict against the backdrop of prevailing sentiment against Bangladeshis working there at the moment.
Expatriate Bangladeshis are now passing through their worst time in the Middle East. It looks like a pattern as they are facing similar problems in one Middle Eastern country after another.
The root cause of this negative imaging of expatriate workers, especially in the Middle East, merits a serious searching and immediate addressing. Meanwhile, the government needs at its highest level to take up the issue and hold talks with the Bahrain government so that this important destination of the overseas jobseekers from Bangladesh may remain well-protected as well as the present fears in the minds of the expatriates working there are dispelled.
However, in the beginning there is a lot of tension over the report of the ban. There were fears that the ban includes also the expatriates already in jobs and whose visas or work permits would be required to go through the uncertain process of further renewal
Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Charge d' Affaires in Bahrain met with the home minister of that country Sheikh Rashed Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa with a letter from the foreign adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury requesting the former to relax the temporary ban on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.
These are certainly issues of serious concern for Bangladesh because a sizeable portion of our foreign currency earning comes from the remittances sent home by our wage earners living in different parts of the world. And what is alarming is that the largest chunk of these foreign currency earners for Bangladesh works in the different countries of Middle East.
The Bangladesh foreign mission in Bahrain is reported to have been working hard to limit the damage already done by assuring the authorities there that everything would be done to remove the cause that has prompted the Bahrain government to go for such a harsh decision against Bangladeshi jobseekers willing to work in Bahrain.
But what wrong have the Bangladeshi workers committed in Bahrain to invite such wrath from the authorities there? And it is not only the government; as if to pile on the agony, even some lawmakers of that country have urged their government to expel all the Bangladeshi workers now residing in that country.
There must be reason for such developments and the government must leave no stone unturned to change the mind of the authorities of that otherwise friendly Muslim country where some 86,000 Bangladeshis work and send a good sum of remittance in return.
The tragic incidents that triggered such misgivings about Bangladeshis working in that particular Gulf state involve the acts of homicide committed by some apparently rogue Bangladeshis residing in that country as wage earners. The first incident happened in 2006 when a Bangladeshi cook named Mizan Noor Al Rahman Ayoub Miyah killed a Bahrain fashion designer Sana Al Jalahama. The cook was sentenced to death by firing squad. However, the execution of the sentence was waiting until the second such incident in which a Bangladeshi resident of that country committed the heinous act of murdering another citizen of Bahrain. This time the murderer was a mechanic who last week killed Mohammed Jassim Dossary, a Bahrain national. It is this latest act of homicide by a Bangladeshi in Bahrain that has prompted the Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to issue the necessary permission last Thursday to go ahead with the execution of the already sentenced Bangladeshi national.
The question does not arise in this context to request the Bahrain government to commute the death sentence of the Bangladeshi who has been found guilty of murder according to the law of that land. And now with the second act of murder committed by a Bangladeshi, all fingers are being pointed at all the Bangladeshis working there, who are otherwise known for their industry, sincerity and loyalty in the Middle East as elsewhere in the world.
The Charge d' Affaires of Bangladesh embassy in Bahrain, however, has been trying his level best to convince the Bahrain authorities that the incidents were isolated ones and that the government at home would mount strict security measures to screen out persons with criminal record, if any, among those seeking job in Bahrain. The Bangladeshi diplomat's suggestion to the host government came in the wake of latter's move to deny further entry of Bangladeshi workers in Bahrain. The proposal further assures the host government to the effect that the records of all the Bangladeshis now working in Bahrain will also be checked to ensure if any of them have any criminal record against them back at home. Understandably, necessary action would follow if any of those residing in Bahrain at the moment is found to have any questionable past.
Things have come to such a pass that the Bangladeshi expatriates now living in that country are in a constant fear of losing their residency status there, especially after the unconfirmed report was in the wind that their visas have also to be renewed. Apart from the apprehension that their visas might be denied any further extension, the worst part of the worry was that all the visas of or work permits for even the same family were not issued at a single date. However, after the Foreign Affairs Advisers' letter to the Home Minister of Bahrain and the latter's assurance that those already in job in that country would not be affected, they got a new lease of life there.
Interestingly though, these very people have been doing their jobs with such a good reputation for so many years in return for a few dinars they earn there and part of which they send home for their families. The contribution of the Bangladeshi expatriates in the economies of the host countries is also enormous, though its recognition is up to the perception of the people and the governments concerned.
The expatriates, especially those employed in low-skill jobs, live a very hard life. They also work under very harsh conditions. The employers, too, are not always ideal. The condition of the underdogs is same anywhere in the world. So, it would not be surprising, if a low-paid worker such as a domestic help is maltreated at the hands of his or her employer. As it always takes two to tango, it may so happen that the suppressed grievance and anger of the employee have led to a tragic end. This is not to say that it is exactly such circumstances that had led to the instances of homicide committed by the expatriate Bangladeshis in question. But what is being noted here is that it is not always due to a criminal bent of mind that a person may chose the violent way. Whatever the case, it must have to be kept in mind that Bangladeshi expatriates are selling their service to their employers abroad and it is their job to keep their customers happy at all costs. They must obey the law of the land and face the music in default. At the same time it would also not be fair to judge the entire Bangladeshi community for the fault of a few rogue elements.
The foreign adviser, who expressed his deep regret to the Bahrain's home minister for the sad incident of murdering a citizen of that country, however, echoed a similar sentiment when he earlier said that the whole nation cannot be punished for the crime of a single person. Amid this ambience of negative imaging of Bangladeshi workers following the sad episode in Bahrain, there is still reason to take heart.
A local human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, however, has tried to touch the sympathetic chord of the people and government of that country by raising the issue of fair trial of the convict against the backdrop of prevailing sentiment against Bangladeshis working there at the moment.
Expatriate Bangladeshis are now passing through their worst time in the Middle East. It looks like a pattern as they are facing similar problems in one Middle Eastern country after another.
The root cause of this negative imaging of expatriate workers, especially in the Middle East, merits a serious searching and immediate addressing. Meanwhile, the government needs at its highest level to take up the issue and hold talks with the Bahrain government so that this important destination of the overseas jobseekers from Bangladesh may remain well-protected as well as the present fears in the minds of the expatriates working there are dispelled.