Dhaka: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Amir and Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday demanded transparency in the selection of 25 recruiting agencies for sending Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia, asking the government to clarify the criteria behind the selection. "The government must make it clear that it is not involved. It must also clarify the criteria on which these agencies were selected," he said.
According to United News of Bangladesh, a memorandum of understanding signed between Bangladesh and Malaysia on December 18, 2022, placed the responsibility for selecting Bangladeshi recruiting agencies solely with the Malaysian government. It stated that the Malaysian Cabinet approved 25 agencies each from Bangladesh and Nepal, and 10 each from India, Pakistan, and Myanmar, among the five major worker-supplying countries.
The Jamaat leader made his remarks during a seminar titled "Syndicate and Malaysia Labour Market: Bangladesh's Partnership" at the Jatiya Press Club. He expressed concerns about the selection process, questioning whether the agencies were chosen as "master agencies" with associate agencies working under them. He cited media reports indicating that some agencies lack previous experience and questioned the basis of their selection.
Shafiqur Rahman also voiced concerns over the financial burden on migrant workers, who often spend between Tk 5-7 lakh to secure jobs abroad by taking loans or selling assets. "If a worker has to spend his entire working life repaying the debt, what will his condition be?" he asked.
The program was chaired by Jamaat-e-Islami Naye-e-Amir Mujibur Rahman, with other notable speakers including Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad, Barrister Shahriar Kabir, and JagPa spokesperson Rashed Prodhan. The event highlighted the need for an open labor market in Malaysia while ensuring that 'dishonest' businesses do not exploit the process. Shafiqur also mentioned that his party's upcoming campaign would include this issue as part of an eight-point demand.