The Bangladesh government is prioritising the reopening of Malaysia’s labour market through a fully transparent process, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Md Mokhtar Ahmed said today (16 September).
He said several ministerial-level meetings had already been held between the two countries over the issue. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also raised it during bilateral discussions with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar during his first foreign visit, according to a press release from the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.
Mokhtar made the remarks when Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) representatives submitted a memorandum outlining their demands on recruiting Bangladeshi workers for Malaysia.
They demanded equal opportunities for all eligible recruiting agencies, including the 312 agencies previously listed for Malaysia-bound recruitment, and an end to syndication and monopoly in the recruitment process.
They also called for lower migration costs, full transparency in recruitment, access for all qualified medical centres and a one-stop service through Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited.
Mokhtar said he would place the reasonable proposals before the higher authorities for review. He said preparations to reopen the Malaysian labour market were underway but warned workers and agencies against intermediaries seeking to exploit the process.
The ministry is taking a strict stance against brokers and fraudulent syndicates, he said. As part of the crackdown, a mobile court sealed the office of Triple A Overseas, fined the agency and seized three boxes of passports over alleged illegal and fraudulent activities, according to the ministry.
Administrative preparations are also underway to determine the mechanism for sending workers to Malaysia once the market reopens, Mokhtar said.
The ministry will formally announce the recruitment process through an official notice once it is finalised, he added.
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