Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday called for greater transparency in the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for Malaysia, questioning the selection of 25 recruiting agencies and the high cost of migration.
“The government must not use exploitation as a tool against people going abroad for work. We do not want to see this anymore. Everything must be clear,” he said.
He was speaking at a national seminar titled “Syndicate and Malaysia’s Labour Market: Bangladesh’s Partnership”, organised by Jamaat-e-Islami at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club.
Referring to the 25 agencies selected for the Malaysian labour market, Shafiqur questioned the criteria used in selecting them.
“Twenty-five agencies have been selected. It appears they will work as master agencies, with other agencies operating under them. On what criteria were they selected?” he asked.
He also sought clarification over reports that the agencies would have to invest between Tk15 crore and Tk22 crore.
Shafiqur said Bangladeshi workers often have to spend Tk 5 lakh to Tk 7 lakh to go abroad for jobs. Many workers, he said, are forced to borrow money or sell land and livestock to meet the cost.
The Jamaat chief also warned of a movement against syndicates in the overseas employment sector.
“We will not look at anyone’s face. We will look at the interests of the people and launch a strong movement to break this syndicate,” he said.
Barrister Shahriar Kabir, who presented the keynote paper, compared the cost of sending workers to Malaysia from Bangladesh and several other countries.
According to his presentation, the cost is around Tk 1 lakh for workers travelling from India and Nepal, Tk 35,000 from Indonesia and Tk 50,000 from the Philippines. For Bangladeshi workers, however, the cost is around Tk 5.5 lakh.
“Does everyone in my country travel business class?” he asked, questioning the wide disparity.
Shahriar also raised questions about the government-to-government (G2G) recruitment system. He said the government is reportedly planning to send 10,000 workers to Malaysia without charging them any money.
“If you can take 10,000 people for free, why can’t you take 90,000?” he asked.
He also alleged that some migrant workers are being deceived after selling their homes or other assets to finance their migration.
According to Shahriar, some workers reach the airport after completing the recruitment process only to discover that the company named in their documents does not exist.
The seminar was chaired by Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Mohammad Mujibur Rahman, while Shafiqul Islam Masud, MP, moderated it.
Several other Jamaat leaders also spoke at the seminar.
