In nothing less than a dramatic flip-flop, Malaysia yesterday
announced suspending recruitment of foreign workers from all countries,
including Bangladesh, a day after Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur signed a deal
over hiring workers.
More shockingly, it said all undocumented foreign workers in Malaysia
would be arrested and deported -- a statement that is very significant
for Bangladesh as an estimated 2 lakh of the 6 lakh Bangladeshis in
Malaysia are believed to be without valid papers.
On Thursday, Malaysian Human Resources Minister Richard Riot and
Bangladesh Expatriates' Welfare Minister Nurul Islam signed a memorandum
of understanding on recruiting 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers through
G2G Plus mechanism over the next three years.
Besides, there were reports earlier this month that Malaysia would start regularising Bangladeshi workers soon.
On February 11, Shahidul Islam, the Bangladesh high commissioner to
Malaysia, told The Daily Star that the legalisation process of the
undocumented Bangladeshis would “start on February 15”. The new
announcement, however, is a bolt from the blue for the irregular workers
who had been hoping for better jobs and better pays, when regularised.
"The suspension will be in force until the government is satisfied
with the manpower needs of the industries," Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad
Zahid Hamidi said at a meeting with soldiers at the Muara Tuang Camp,
Sarawak, according to Malaysia's state news agency, Bernama.
Hamidi, who is also home minister and head of the committee on
recruiting foreign workers, said Malaysia would focus on the “foreign
worker rehiring programme and step up enforcement to ensure that no more
foreigners entered the country as workers.”
"Foreign workers without valid documents or [who] have overstayed in
the country will be arrested and sent back to their country of origin,"
he said.
He hoped Malaysians, especially the youths, would respond to the
government call for local people to take up the jobs now held by
foreigners to become the nation's workforce to drive the national
economy.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies President
Mohammed Abul Basher termed Malaysia's decision as “death of a child
before birth”.
Its reasons must be internal and political and that Baira does not have any comment on that, he said.
But he hoped that once the legalisation process was complete, Malaysia would start recruiting workers from Bangladesh.
WHY THE SUSPENSION?
The Malaysian deputy prime minister's announcement in June last year
that the country would recruit 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers drew
numerous controversies.
Malaysian trade unions and rights groups decried the announcement,
arguing that the country was hosting over 2 million irregular migrants
who needed to be regularised before making any fresh recruitment amid
downturn of Malaysian economy.
The criticism became sharp when Malaysian media revealed some
Malaysian private companies like Bestinet, Real Time Networking and
Synerflux had been lobbying Bangladesh and Malaysian governments to win
contracts. These companies -- directly or indirectly -- were owned by
relatives of ruling party ministers.
Lately, Baira and Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur also
warned that Malaysia's appointing a company -- Synerflux -- to regulate
the labour recruitment would establish a monopoly.
Baira in a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on February 16 said
a syndicate led by Synerflux was behind the labour deal, and its main
objective was to make profits out of the recruitment.
Citing 2014 statistics, the Malay Economic Action Council CEO Nizam
Mahshar on Wednesday told media in Kuala Lumpur that there were 3.1
million foreign workers in Malaysia against its need for 1.72 million,
mainly in low-skilled category jobs.
The surplus of foreign workers has led to a growing competition with
local workers, affecting the wages of lower-income group, he said.
Liew Chin Tong, an MP of Malaysia's largest opposition Democratic
Action Party, opposed recruiting new foreign workers, saying it would
not help Malaysia's automation, mechanisation, innovation and
technological upgrades.
Explaining the internal dynamics of Malaysia's decision, Mohammad
Harun Al Rashid, coordinator of a regional NGO, Caram Asia, said the
opposition, trade unions and rights groups were angered by Ahmad Zahid
Hamidi's dealing with the foreign workers.
“If there was a real need of workers, there should be an assessment
and consultation with the businesses. That was not done,” he told The
Daily Star from Kuala Lumpur by phone yesterday.
Because of such an attitude of the government, common Malaysians also
opposed the government move, and often there has been xenophobic
treatment against the Bangladeshi migrants there.
Only on Thursday, a Bangladeshi was beaten by a mob for alleged rape
of a Malaysian girl, he said, adding that taking law into one's own hand
was nothing but xenophobic under the current context.
HANGING IN THE BALANCE
The fate of the undocumented Bangladeshis, meanwhile, is uncertain.
On the announcement of their arrest and deportation, Harun said the
development was conflicting as Malaysia was in the process of legalising
irregular migrants.
Agile Fernandez, director of migrant rights body Tenaganita based in
Kuala Lumpur, said a large number of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia
were undocumented because they were cheated by the agents and employers.
“If they are arrested and deported, it will be a total injustice to them,” she told The Daily Star over the phone.
Fernandez suggested that the irregular workers be legalised and
recruited first. Then, the Malaysian authorities should assess the need
and recruit new workers, if needed.
