THOUSANDS of migrant workers aspiring to work in Malaysia now face an uncertain future largely because of the irregularities and corruption in the recruitment process. As Malaysia decided to stop hiring migrant workers from Bangladesh in April, 50,004 aspirants failed to migrate to Malaysia after completing almost all the processes. Of them, 16,970 could not fly at the last minute because of increase in air fare. The decision entails that all prospective migrants who completed the process must have reached Malaysia by May 31. Many who reached the Kuala Lumpur airport in time were stranded because either their employment papers were not in order or no employer came to receive them. An estimated 5,000 prospective migrants were waiting at the Dhaka airport on May 31 whom their agents promised tickets but failed to manage them. Now, the recruiting agencies are dilly-dallying in refunding the money that the workers have deposited in recruitment cost. A young man from Patuakhali deposited Tk 4.5 lakh, but the recruiting agency is making excuses and has not given a firm deadline to refund the money. The unfolding crisis points to failures of the government to discipline the agencies and make timely diplomatic correspondence with Malaysia that could have prevented the prospective migrants from being exploited.
Bangladesh and Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2021 in Kuala Lumpur that lifted a nearly four-year moratorium on labour import that Malaysia imposed on allegations of malpractice and irregularities by a 鈥榮yndicate鈥� of Bangladeshi recruiting agencies. The latest decision of Malaysia to stop hiring workers, particularly its refusal to extend the deadline to allow Bangladeshi workers who had already completed the process, is also based on similar widespread irregularities. In June 2022, migrants鈥� rights advocates, however, warned the government of the possible revival of an arrangement that leaves scope for corruption when it decided that only a select 25 Bangladeshi recruitment agencies would be involved in the recruitment of workers. They suspected that the recruitment process, left in the hands of a handful of agencies, could be attributed to high recruitment costs and other labour abuses. Their warning was not misplaced, as many have reported that while the government decided Tk 78,990 in migration costs, recruiting organisations collected Tk 500,000鈥�700,000. In the end, the aspiring migrants who arranged the recruitment costs by selling their property and taking out high-interest loans from lenders are bearing the brunt.
Malyasia closed its labour market to Bangladeshi workers before on grounds of irregularities and corruption, yet the government has failed to bring some order and ensure safe labour migration. The government must, therefore, take early steps to investigate the allegations of irregularities and bring the exploitative agents to justice. It must ensure that workers recruitment fees that they have paid to agents are refunded with no further delay.