Editorial
Agitating workers in Malaysia
Those responsible for their misery must be dealt with
More than a hundred Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia have been agitating for the past several days in protest against the poor working conditions they face in that country. They have been on a hunger strike on the premises of the Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur. The adviser in charge for expatriate welfare and overseas employment, as we understand, has directed the Bangladesh mission to resolve their problems at the earliest. It has also been reported that the Bangladesh authorities plan to bring back the agitating workers, should a solution that can satisfy them not be found, to the country.
It would be fairly easy to bring back the workers from Malaysia on the ground that their continued agitation for better work and better pay, in the opinion of some, might affect Bangladesh's image abroad. But such a step, if taken, will only mean dealing with surface conditions rather than going to the bottom of the issue. One does not need to be reminded that for the past many years, our workers in Malaysia (as also in the Middle East) have been subjected to much exploitation and discrimination. They have often been swindled by agents here in Bangladesh and once they have found themselves in Malaysia discovered that agents there too put them through innumerable difficulties. Most of these workers sell their meagre property at home and even take out loans from others in order to pay recruiting agencies for lucrative jobs abroad. Ironically, they soon discover that not only have they not been given the jobs promised earlier but have in fact been given a Hobson's choice of accepting far more lowly jobs or go without any job altogether. Worse, these workers are often subjected to ill treatment by their employers.
The problem, therefore, is not always of the workers' making. It is clear that recruiting agencies in Dhaka as well as some companies in Malaysia are responsible for the issues the agitating workers in Kuala Lumpur have highlighted. There are now two steps that we can suggest. In the first place, as part of its drive against corruption, the ACC can investigate any recruiting agency responsible for workers' plight. In the second, as the recipient country, Malaysia can undertake similar action against its own companies, which have been responsible for the plight of Bangladesh's workers. Our workers need a fair deal. Why must they be deprived of that, especially when their contributions to the host country's economy is undeniable?
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