Bangladesh-Malaysia joint working committee meeting not taking place1.2 million workers' journey to Malaysia uncertain

Malaysia is turning away from Bangladesh due to the conflict and harassment of businessmen behind the scenes

Bangladesh could not send even one of the 18,000 workers who got employment permission

Bangladesh fears to lose 5 billion dollars in remittances in 2025

Experts recommend hiring lobbyists

Dec 29-31 meeting scheduled. No response yet from Malaysian side: Ambassador Shamim Ahsan

Manpower export sector will suffer big loss: BAIRA Secretary General

Bangladesh-Malaysia joint working committee meeting is not taking place. This meeting was to be held at the advisory level of the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia and the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare of Bangladesh from December 29 to 31. Malaysia will open the market for foreign workers from next February. Various sources have confirmed that they will hire more than 12 lakh workers. If there is no meeting of the Joint Working Committee held between Bangladesh and Malaysian government, then the matter of sending about 12 lakh workers to Malaysia will be uncertain.

The reason behind the non-meeting status of the joint working committee is said to be the fierce dispute between businessmen over the export of manpower to Malaysia in the past. One side of the traders sued the other side claiming they were 'deprived'. CID is investigating the case. On the other hand, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is conducting a separate investigation by alleging money laundering in the name of sending workers before August 5.

Asking about this matter, the private secretary of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment, Deputy Secretary and Advisor Sarwar Alam said, "The meeting of the joint working committee of the two countries was supposed to be held in Dhaka at the end of December. Since that is not the case, we are trying to hold a joint working committee meeting next January."

Asking about this, the ambassador of Bangladesh appointed to Malaysia. Shamim Ahsan said in writing that the meeting of the Ministerial Joint Working Committee (JWG) of the two countries is scheduled to be held in Dhaka between 29 and 31 December. This has not yet been confirmed by Malaysia. We are trying to fix a new date for the joint working committee meeting.

According to 'The Finance Today's own investigation, the Malaysian stakeholders could not be persuaded to attend the JWG meeting despite various efforts by the Bangladesh government. Bangladesh has not received any itinerary of the officials who will come to Bangladesh including the Malaysian Human Resources Minister. As a result, there is no possibility of a JWG meeting soon. By this, there is a fear that Bangladesh will lose a large labor market in Malaysia.

According to the information received, 4 lakh 76 thousand 500 workers from Bangladesh went to Malaysia in 22 months from August 8, 2022 to May 31, 2024. As the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs set a schedule to send workers by May 31, about 18,000 workers could not go despite getting the employment permit due to various reasons including the airline ticket crisis. The issue was presented by the government during the visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Dhaka on October 4. He announced to take those 18 thousand workers. At that time, Anwar Ibrahim said, "We have discussed the whole system. We have gone through a very transparent process. We need workers. And whether these workers are from Bangladesh or any other country.

Those concerned said that more than three months have passed since the announcement by the Malaysian Prime Minister on October 4. But Bangladesh could not send even one of those 18 thousand workers. As a result, the matter of sending those workers has also become uncertain. If there is a joint working committee meeting, this issue could have been resolved through discussion

Talking to the concerned businessmen, it is known that Altaf Hossain, the proprietor of the recruiting agency Afifa Overseas, filed a case against 103 businessmen at the Paltan police station, alleging human trafficking and money laundering in sending workers to Malaysia.

After investigating the case, Paltan Thana Police sent a letter to Kuala Lumpur Interpol through NCB Interpol for issuing arrest warrant of two businessmen named Aminul Islam Abdul Noor and Ruhul Amin Swapan and suspending the software Foreign Workers Centralized Management System (FWCMS) activities related to importing manpower. The Malaysian government has an agreement with Bastinet Sindirian Berhad, the parent company of FWCMS, to recruit workers from 15 source countries, including Bangladesh.

Malaysian businessmen claim that the allegations of human trafficking in the case are not actionable in any way. Because, if there is human trafficking, the concerned victim will file a case. Here, instead of the victim, a businessman sued his opponent. Besides, the letter given by the Paltan Thana Police to Malaysia Interpol was not logical in any way. Because, Aminul Islam Abdul Noor is a Malaysian citizen (Bangladeshi origin). He was not made an accused in the case filed at Paltan police station. Issuing his arrest warrant was not justified at all. Apart from this, Malaysia recruits workers from 14 sending countries apart from Bangladesh through FWCMS software. The investigating officer of the case cannot say that the software should be stopped there.

It is learned that the case of Paltan police station was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the last week of November. The CID has written to the businessmen for questioning, alleging money laundering. In addition, former ACC Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal's wife Kashmiri Kamal, daughter Nafisa Kamal, former Member of Parliament of Awami League elected from Feni-2 Nizam Uddin Hazari, former Member of Parliament of Feni-3 Constituency Lieutenant General (retd) As part of the investigation against Masud Uddin Chowdhury and Member of Parliament of Dhaka-20 Constituency Benazir Ahmed, letters are being sent to all businessmen. This has created a kind of panic among the traders. The people concerned said that this fear has had an adverse effect on the export of manpower.

A manpower exporter said that when Najib Abdul Razak was the Prime Minister of Malaysia, 10 out of 700 recommended recruiting agencies by then Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, 250 sub-agents of Ismail Sabri Yacob and 25 agencies were recruited. Later, the number of recruiting agencies was increased to 100 in view of the request of the Malaysian Human Resources Minister M Saravanan Bangladesh Government. Workers are sent to Malaysia through the G2T system. It is not logical to accuse those who have contributed to the country's foreign exchange by sending workers there, without scrutiny.

Moreover, the Malaysian government has recently sent a letter to the police headquarters and the Attorney General's office saying that there has been no incident of human trafficking and money laundering in Malaysia in the past. Allegations made by different quarters of Bangladesh are fictitious and unacceptable.

The concerned businessmen said that one side of the businessmen is spreading misinformation and propaganda against the other side by claiming that they are deprived of the export of manpower to Malaysia. This is damaging the image of Bangladesh outside the country and adversely affecting the labor market. Malaysian authorities are turning away from Bangladesh as a result of numerous cases and harassment in opening the labor market in Malaysia.

It is known that three Malaysian citizens secretly came to Bangladesh at the beginning of last November at the instigation of the owner of some recruiting agencies. They introduced themselves as senior government officials and also met with the police and expatriate welfare ministry officials. A businessman named Howladar Forkan Uddin filed a general diary (GD) in Paltan police station on November 6.

In that GD, the plaintiff mentioned that the three persons visited Bangladesh on the invitation of a special circle to dispute the interim government, cheat in the name of manpower export. Meanwhile, they met and talked with the police about a case filed against Jan Shakti exporters at Dhaka's Paltan police station. They also introduced themselves as 'representatives of the Malaysian government' through fraud.

Those three citizens of Malaysia were the president of the organization called Malaysia International Security Organization for Foreign Nationals and general secretary Dr. Sukmarana NK Nair and Dato Md. Noah.

The controversial duo brought them to Bangladesh as a ploy to take control of Malaysia's manpower exports. Those persons gave misleading information to the investigating officer using their identities as human rights activists, people from Malaysian KDN, people from the Malaysian Home Minister, senior officials there etc. They tactfully issue a letter with Kuala Lumpur NCB (Interpol). Two of the three men from Malaysia are the leaders of the organization related to the import of manpower there. In 2001 and 2008, Dr. Alleged fraud with Bangladeshi manpower exporters. Sukumarana was expelled from PASMA, the trade body there. They have been extorting money and cheating Bangladeshi businessmen in the name of taking manpower. They were brought to Bangladesh with huge sum of money. They are making various conspiracies about Bangladesh's manpower export sector.

According to the research, there is a demand for at least 6 lakh Bangladeshi workers in various sectors including construction sector, agricultural farms, factories, restaurants, service sector in Malaysia. Bangladeshi workers go there and work sincerely and each worker earns at least two and a half thousand ringgit (70 thousand taka) per month. From the Bangladesh High Commission appointed in Malaysia, multi-faceted efforts to recruit Bangladeshi manpower quickly and to send a large number of workers at low cost are continuing in that country.

Considering the importance of the meeting of the joint working group, the Human Resources Department of Malaysia announced the organization of the meeting in the last week of December (December 28) in the efforts of Bangladeshi businessmen. A meeting of the Joint Working Committee was expected to open the way for sending workers to Malaysia again.

Regarding the meeting of the Joint Working Committee, an official of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment said that the sending of workers to Malaysia was stopped in phases. It was resolved through a joint working committee meeting. This time again our aim and objective is the same - to open the Malaysian market at any cost. We are preparing for the meeting of the Joint Working Committee. We are hopeful that the labor market will open after the meeting.

An expert related to manpower export said, Malaysia is our big labor market. If we can send enough workers there next February, we will earn about 5 billion dollars in foreign exchange in 2025. Losing this market through indecision or any other reason would cause irreparable damage to our labor market. We will lose about $5 billion in remittances annually. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to take the matter seriously and appoint a lobbyist quickly to regain the confidence of the Malaysian government; So that at any cost we can send workers to the Malaysian labor market.

Ali Haider Chowdhury, Secretary General of Recruiting Agency Owners Association, Ali Haider Chowdhury said, "We have confirmed through discussions that the labor market will open in Malaysia next February." There is an opportunity to send 5-6 lakh workers from Bangladesh as a big source country. If it is possible to hold a meeting of the joint working committee at the government level of the two countries within the month of December, it would open the door to the possibility of catching the labor market. But it will not be possible after the meeting or not. If there is no joint working committee meeting, it is not possible to determine how many workers will go in which process. In addition, there are certain needs or expectations between the sending and receiving countries. It has to be determined through discussions between the governments of the two countries. It is not possible unless there is a meeting of the joint working committee.

BAIRA Secretary General expressed his apprehension and said, "Currently, we cannot send workers to any other country except Saudi Arabia. When the labor market opens in Malaysia in February, if we do not catch it, it will be a big loss for our labor market."

Therefore, it is important to solve all kinds of complications in this case through discussion and capture the labor market. Because, in the meantime, Malaysia is currently fourth in terms of remittance income. If more workers are sent, it is possible to come to the second or third position, this official of Bayra thinks.