Saving manpower export market
Friday, 27 June 2008
ONCE more, the Bangladeshi nationals have lost the free movement facility to another foreign country. The South Korean government recently halted the visa-free visit facility for Bangladeshi citizens for 90 days, following reports of overstay in that country. The Bangladeshis have been enjoying the travel advantage since 1983 under an agreement between the two governments. Now the restriction would be effective from July 15.
Such restrictions are not new. Earlier, we lost this facility from other Asian countries including Malaysia and Singapore. The latest bar came after it was reported that 96 per cent of the 4,503 Bangladeshis, who had gone to South Korea last year, overstayed. Not only last year, this trend was reported earlier also.
Illegal stay is certainly a matter of shame. For this, neither the government nor the recruiting agencies can ignore their liabilities. Image of the country suffered and the manpower export market shrank, due to overstay by the workers.
But what concerns us more is that no realistic step was taken as yet to change the scenario. Why should we gain such bad reputation? The government, the recruiting agencies as well as our missions in the manpower importing countries are not playing their due roles. The relevant government departments as well the recruitment agencies should give the correct motivation to our workers when they go abroad.
In the case of South Korea, there is a scope of diplomatic negotiations. Bangladeshis alone are not overstaying in that country. South Korea has 23 per cent illegal workers out of one million foreign workers from China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Bangladeshis make up a nominal percentage of the total. It is well known that the restriction which can easily be imposed in the case of Bangladesh cannot be done for the other expatriates so easily because of proactive diplomacy of those countries. So we expect that the government would take the initiative to take the issue up with the recruiting country as well as the agencies which sent these people. The necessary corrective steps would provide many benefits.
Maksudur Rahman
Fakirapool, Dhaka
Such restrictions are not new. Earlier, we lost this facility from other Asian countries including Malaysia and Singapore. The latest bar came after it was reported that 96 per cent of the 4,503 Bangladeshis, who had gone to South Korea last year, overstayed. Not only last year, this trend was reported earlier also.
Illegal stay is certainly a matter of shame. For this, neither the government nor the recruiting agencies can ignore their liabilities. Image of the country suffered and the manpower export market shrank, due to overstay by the workers.
But what concerns us more is that no realistic step was taken as yet to change the scenario. Why should we gain such bad reputation? The government, the recruiting agencies as well as our missions in the manpower importing countries are not playing their due roles. The relevant government departments as well the recruitment agencies should give the correct motivation to our workers when they go abroad.
In the case of South Korea, there is a scope of diplomatic negotiations. Bangladeshis alone are not overstaying in that country. South Korea has 23 per cent illegal workers out of one million foreign workers from China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The Bangladeshis make up a nominal percentage of the total. It is well known that the restriction which can easily be imposed in the case of Bangladesh cannot be done for the other expatriates so easily because of proactive diplomacy of those countries. So we expect that the government would take the initiative to take the issue up with the recruiting country as well as the agencies which sent these people. The necessary corrective steps would provide many benefits.
Maksudur Rahman
Fakirapool, Dhaka