BANGLADESHIS migrated to Malaysia under professional category visa are facing various problems due to defective travel documents. But the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is remaining non-responsive to the workers’ plights. A national daily reported that many unskilled workers who migrated to Malaysia with professional category visa paying huge money to the dishonest recruiting agents selling out their farmlands or taking loan at high interest rate are now compelled to return with empty hand due to shortcomings of their travel documents in backdrop of unemployed situation there. Though, Bangladesh and Malaysia signed an MoU in last February to recruit 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers, but no progress has yet been made that bolstered the traffickers to cheat the unemployed youths in the country who are desperate to make an opening for their livelihood at all costs. Capitalizing on the jobless people’s aspiration the multinational traffickers are collecting their tolls.
As the skilled and unskilled workers recruitment in Malaysia remains suspended or stranded, some recruiting agencies are sending unskilled workers under professional workers category and in the process the Immigration and Passport Directorate giving them immigration clearance widening their own fortunes at the cost of future of these poor people.
Data showed that between January and 21 August of this year more than 30,000 workers migrated to Malaysia after receiving immigration clearance, though the legal way of migration remained suspended. The unskilled workers are migrating to Malaysia under Professional Visa, which is absolutely supposed for the professionals. This type of manipulation or misuse of visa option would struck the future of the eligible job-seekers under professional category from Bangladesh. The government should keep their eyes to monitor the use of different categories of visa.
Since the MoU signed between Bangladesh Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Malaysian authority concerned in last February, a mixed reaction among the businesses and the politicians in Malaysia stayed the implementation of the MoU. As per the MoU, Bangladeshi workers could be employed in the services outlets, construction, farming, plantation and manufacturing sectors in Malaysia and be paid a minimum wage of RM800 to RM900 i.e., equivalent to BD Tk 16000 to Tk 18000 per month. Malaysian employers would also pay for workers’ security deposits, levies, visa fees, and health and compensation insurance.
In the face of the government’s drastic failure in creating jobs and stimulating private investors to generate new employment opportunities, it should at least initiate diplomatic negotiation with Malaysia to implement the MoU.
It is often reported in the media that there at least .05 million foreign skilled workers, mostly Indians, working in various sectors in Bangladesh. So, it is advisable that local workers should be trained up as skilled workers/professionals which are now occupied by the foreigners. However, so long we continue to send our workers abroad, the government should obviously look after their interest there.
