Reza Mahmud :
Manpower agents, apparently apathetic about the agonies of migrants, are still sending aspirants to Malaysia where thousands of Bangladeshis are jobless.
Amid huge jobless Bangladeshi migrants’ untold suffering in the Southeast Asian country, sending manpower to the country is going on unabatedly which created anxiety among the people.
Sources said, about 25 to 30 thousands of Bangladeshi migrants are now enduring hardship for not getting jobs in Malaysia.
Most of them are taking money from their families living in Bangladesh for maintaining their daily meals and other needs there.
Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data showed that 3,29,431 Bangladeshi Diasporas were sent to Malaysia this year while the highest 46,105 aspirants gone there in August alone.
In September, 21,520 migrants were sent to Malaysia and the figure was 21,009 in October.
The data showed 22,382 Bangladeshi workers left country for Malaysia in November.
Though the official data of the current December was not found, the officials of the BMET said manpower sending is continuing.
An official from a manpower recruiting agency owned by a senior leader of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) told The New Nation preferring anonymity that most of the agencies engaged in sending manpower to Malaysia are continuing exporting workers there including their agency.
When contacted, Mohammad Abdul Hai, Deputy Secretary and Director (Employment) of BMET, said sending manpower is continuing.
Replying to a query about the decision on sending more workers despite several thousands of Bangladeshis remaining jobless there, the BMET Director said actions against the default companies are underway.
“Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has blocked a company there for keeping several Bangladeshi workers jobless,” he said.
The Director said that actions are also in progress against such others.
He said that few Bangladeshi owned companies in Malaysia are involved in such dishonest acts.
When contacted, Dr. Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, Senior Secretary of the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, told The New Nation, “We are alert over fake visas and taking measures against such companies who keep our manpower jobless in Malaysia.”
He said the victims should take recourse to Bangladesh High Commission there for submitting allegations to the point so that the official could able to take necessary actions.
When contacted, BAIRA President Mohammad Abul Bashar said on Wednesday that he was unable to reply the questions as he was engaged in an emergency meeting.
Malaysia’s Labor Department under the Ministry of Human Resources has approved the hiring of 4.27 lakh new Bangladeshi workers, with about two lakh workers already in Malaysia. The remaining 2.27 lakh workers are in the process of sending to the country.
Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur expressed optimism that if the barriers were removed and the upward trend in migration continues, Malaysia will employ around 500,000 new Bangladeshi workers within the next two-three years.
About 10 lakh Bangladeshis are working in Malaysia now, as per an unofficial estimate.
