PRIME MINISTER Sheikh Hasina has said people who have left the country illegally as well as the human traffickers are tainting the image of the nation and need to be punished. They must be sternly dealt with including the middlemen who have pushed their lives in danger on promise of lucrative jobs in Malaysia. The Prime Minister made the comment at Bangladesh Secretariat as newspaper reported on Monday breaking the long silence. But as it was expected by the nation watching the perils of the sea going people, she did not demand accountability from her administration and the concerned Ministries in particular as to how such thing could happen under their nose. The Prime Minister spoke on the tragedy when the Ministry of Home, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment were trading blames on each other for the failure to come to the help of the victims. But the Prime Minister passed the blames on the poor migrants accusing them for tarnishing the country’s image abroad. The Prime Minister’s views were expressed after thousands of Bangladeshis were found drifting at sea on the verge of death and a large number of men and women were buried in mass graves in Thailand and Malaysia camps for months together. The Bangladesh migrants who are still alive need to be brought back to Bangladesh urgently. The government should do everything to have them back without delay. But not much activity is seen in this regard.National dailies on Monday carried the Prime Minister’s reaction on the sea going people when global outcry over the fate of the drowning people is heard everywhere. The Prime Minister said it is true these people are moving after ‘golden deer’ but they could live a better life using the money inside the country by doing something instead of spending the money on human traffickers. The causes as to why these people are risking their lives leaving behind family and dear ones should be known to all. Our government itself is earning foreign exchange by exporting even women as housemaids. The most urgent need is to help the victims’ rehabilitation after bringing them back in Bangladesh. When the Prime Minister speaks of facilities for them to lead a good life within Bangladesh, the government should be able to offer them opportunities to survive well after all their suffering and losses. But nobody sees any such preparation for the government. Besides, the government should be able to punish the human traffickers in high positions. It is unacceptable that such huge number of migrants could be lured by human traffickers without the knowledge of the government officials and their cooperation.
