Staff Reporter :
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed asked all not to take and give money for sending manpower to Malaysia before starting of the labour market.
“We are trying to open the important Malaysian labour market for our manpower. But before opening the market officially, no one should give money or passports to any recruiting agents or related ones,” the minister said it while delegates of Journalists Forum on Migrations (JFM) met him in his Easkaton Road Office on Monday.
The minister asked all people who are waiting to go to Malaysia to stay careful in this regard and shun giving money and passports to anyone.
The expatriates’ welfare minister said that he is giving priority to keep the labour’s interest upheld.
JFM President Monir Hossain led the delegates while its acting General Secretary Rabiul Haque, Executive Members Samsul Haque, Reza Mahmud and Abdullah Al Kafi joined with him.
The minister expressed his optimism about sending huge number of workers abroad in this year.
He said more than one lakh workers were sent to different countries on an average in November and December of 2021 and January 2022.
The minister said that the highest one lakh and 31 thousand Bangladeshi workers have been living the country in December alone.
He said that if the pace of sending such increasing number of workers continues, the country can sent more than eight to nine lakh workers abroad this year.
The number would be higher if the Malaysian labour market opens soon.
Replying to a query, the minister said, “We traditionally think that our labour market is a small one. But the truth is that the whole planet is a potential labour market for our manpower.”
Replying to another query, the minister said that it is yet not clear when Malaysian market will open.
He said that they are trying to open it fast and trying to fix the costs of sending manpower to the country keeping migrants’ interests upheld.
The minister said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked migrants to take loan from Probashi Kalyan Bank for meeting migration costs.
Replying to a query, Imran Ahmed said that he utmost tried to reduce air fare but the concern authorities failed to response in this regard.
