Govt shouldn't only count remittance money
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
The disclosure by the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh (ATAB) that about one thousand overseas-bound Bangladeshi workers are now being forced to postpone their journey everyday due to shortage of flights of different airlines is a piece of shocking news. Nearly 800 Dubai-bound workers could not reach their workplaces in Dubai within the visa deadline last month because of non-availability of flights. The crisis over flights has developed mainly because of three reasons. They are: (a) the manpower export has almost doubled over the last six months; (b) the Biman Bangladesh Airlines' share in the Middle East bound passengers has declined from 30 per cent to 10 per cent because of its declining fleet-strength; and (c) foreign airlines taking advantage of the situation have unfairly hiked their airfares.
The failure of the outbound workers to reach their workplaces in time due to flight shortages is a sad development, particularly when the demand for Bangladeshi workers, mostly unskilled ones, has gone up in recent months in some Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries. This increased outflow would have largely compensated for the reported deportation of nearly 200,000 Bangladeshi workers who have been staying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) illegally for years. The money remitted by expatriate workers is not only important to their families but also to the national economy. The remittances are greatly contributing to the survival of both. For instance, country's balance of payments reached a record surplus last year despite a huge trade deficit of about 3.5 billion. The higher inflow of remittance -- about $6.0 billion- made all the difference.
Under the circumstances, the country can ill-afford any decline in the flow of remittance for the sake of managing the economy better. Rather, it needs to make all-out efforts to send more of its workforce -- skilled and unskilled both -- abroad and keep the remittance-flow growing all the time. However, the government cannot remain content counting the money it receives from the expatriate workers every year. Looking after the welfare of the migrant workers through the Bangladesh missions abroad and their families back home and making their movement to and from workplaces safe and trouble-free are the jobs of the government. But alleged irregularities involving the recruitment of workers for Malaysia and the consequent sufferings caused to poor jobseekers do prove that the government is not yet befittingly alive to its responsibilities towards entire manpower export issue. This is more evident from scores of allegations about indifferent attitude of the officials of different Bangladesh missions abroad to the welfare of the migrant workers.
The authorities concerned do need to pay attention urgently to the issue of flight shortage to help resolve the problems of the outbound workers. The fleet strength of Biman cannot be beefed up immediately through the purchase of new or used aircraft because of cash constraint. Rather, it should listen to the advice of the ATAB and go for taking lease of at least two wide-bodied aircraft without any delay to relieve the workers facing the flight problem. These aircraft would be also of great use for carrying hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia only after about four months' time.
The failure of the outbound workers to reach their workplaces in time due to flight shortages is a sad development, particularly when the demand for Bangladeshi workers, mostly unskilled ones, has gone up in recent months in some Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries. This increased outflow would have largely compensated for the reported deportation of nearly 200,000 Bangladeshi workers who have been staying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) illegally for years. The money remitted by expatriate workers is not only important to their families but also to the national economy. The remittances are greatly contributing to the survival of both. For instance, country's balance of payments reached a record surplus last year despite a huge trade deficit of about 3.5 billion. The higher inflow of remittance -- about $6.0 billion- made all the difference.
Under the circumstances, the country can ill-afford any decline in the flow of remittance for the sake of managing the economy better. Rather, it needs to make all-out efforts to send more of its workforce -- skilled and unskilled both -- abroad and keep the remittance-flow growing all the time. However, the government cannot remain content counting the money it receives from the expatriate workers every year. Looking after the welfare of the migrant workers through the Bangladesh missions abroad and their families back home and making their movement to and from workplaces safe and trouble-free are the jobs of the government. But alleged irregularities involving the recruitment of workers for Malaysia and the consequent sufferings caused to poor jobseekers do prove that the government is not yet befittingly alive to its responsibilities towards entire manpower export issue. This is more evident from scores of allegations about indifferent attitude of the officials of different Bangladesh missions abroad to the welfare of the migrant workers.
The authorities concerned do need to pay attention urgently to the issue of flight shortage to help resolve the problems of the outbound workers. The fleet strength of Biman cannot be beefed up immediately through the purchase of new or used aircraft because of cash constraint. Rather, it should listen to the advice of the ATAB and go for taking lease of at least two wide-bodied aircraft without any delay to relieve the workers facing the flight problem. These aircraft would be also of great use for carrying hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia only after about four months' time.