AN in-depth investigative report in a Bangla daily has revealed the secrets of the exponentially decreasing trends in manpower exports. It found that the criminal inefficiency of the Bangladesh envoys in concerned market countries, deterioration of diplomatic ties with market countries because of naïve moves by the foreign ministry and anti-Bangladesh campaigns by neighbouring competitor countries are responsible for this backdrop. This decrease in manpower exports is taking its toll from remittance inflows as well. According to the Statistics of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, in 2012 total manpower exports was slightly more than six hundred thousand while in 2013 it was barely four hundred thousand. The natural consequence of this decrease led to a decrease in remittance inflows as well. In 2013 net remittance inflows was 6.7% lower than of the previous year. The downward trend shows that in KSA more than two hundred thousand labourers were exported, but, in 2013 it declined to 12 thousands only. In 2005, 47 thousand labourers went to Kuwait, however, ironically in 2012 and 2013 a total of 08 people went to Kuwait. According to experts and expats, Bangladesh faces a massive blow in its image and branding. According to a number of KSA expats, the decline in manpower exports to KSA is due to cold relations with the Bangladesh government and a negative imagery of Bangladesh. Many KSA based companies are willing to take labourers from Bangladesh but because of KSA government’s restriction they can’t hire Bangladeshi labour. Meanwhile, on the Bangladesh embassy’s part dialogue and exchange of views with KSA has diminished alarmingly. In a rather interesting case, UAE is apparently not taking labour because of an international trade forum vote in which Bangladesh voted for UAE’s competitor Russia. Since then there has not only been a sharp decline in manpower exports to the UAE but also a restriction on all types of visas for Bangladeshi citizens is in effect. However, apart from these specificities in different markets, the general problem common to all of the markets is the infinite indifference of Bangladeshi officials in foreign embassies. It is widely known that in the last tenure of BAL government, Bangladesh consulates in foreign lands were filled with BAL cadres who in general have little quality or know-how to run an embassy, let alone how to win bargains in complicated trades like manpower exports. Moreover, these politically appointed officers are entangled with numerous profit making personal activities which are leading to bureaucratic procrastination. Researchers have opined that while countries like Myanmar and Nepal are very much active in search of new markets and India is very much active in cutting the share off Bangladesh by any means, our embassies are essentially doing nothing. We believe that our deficiency in investments, infrastructure and raw materials have resulted in our low labour exports and thus the low inflow of remittances. One of the most important tasks of any Bangladeshi consulate overseas is to protect Bangladesh’s key economic interests. But what are the embassies in Malaysia or Kuwait doing? We cannot have it both ways: in one hand if we continue to keep making our market countries perturbed by our policies in both domestic and foreign spheres and at the same time send the most inefficient officials, we cannot hope that these countries will keep taking labourers from us overwhelmingly. It only happens in a fool’s paradise. In economics, “You cannot have your cake and eat it too”. The labour and foreign ministry must act at once to set short and long run objectives to tackle this crisis.
