Editorial
Sending migrant labour to Iraq again
The safety of our workers must be ensured
THE resumption of Bangladeshi labour migration to Iraq after a break of six years should be seen as a positive development. The disruption that occurred in the presence and working of migrant labour in Iraq when it was invaded by US and British forces in 2003 was in turn to lead to misery for foreign workers, some of the worst affected among whom were those from Bangladesh. When the move is seen against the backdrop of the large numbers of Bangladeshi workers sent back home by some countries in the Middle East as well as Malaysia, we cannot but feel a little cheered by the news that job opportunities have opened for 2000 Bangladeshis in Iraq .
That said, there is the other side of the picture, especially where it is a question of our workers being employed in Iraq. For all the impression the Iraqi authorities as well as western nations with troops there have given of conditions becoming normal there, there are yet the security-related worries that we may have about sending our workers to that country. Let the fact be taken note of: the security situation in Iraq is still in a tenuous state and one cannot say with certainty that the fractured nature of its politics has healed enough to allow foreign workers to go back to it. The expatriates' welfare ministry should, therefore, ensure that there is a definitive change in the situation before our workers can go there. The state must have a responsibility to those it agrees have a right to go abroad for employment.
It goes without saying that of late the export of Bangladeshi manpower has been in decline.In such a situation, the news from Iraq looks good. If the plan really works out, it will mean a good leap for Bangladesh where remittances from abroad are concerned. Of late, despite the decline in manpower export, there has been an increase in the volume of remittances owing to changes in monetary exchange rates as also an increasing propensity on the part of migrant workers to go for formal, more organized channels, as distinct from and opposed to hundi methods, for sending money back home. It is an encouraging sign of things to be. Indeed, if we can break new ground here, through exploring manpower opportunities not just in Iraq but in other countries as well (apart from the traditional ones), it will mean a whole lot to the country.
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