Don’t highlight old issues: Expats state minister

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment State Minister  Imran Ahmad has expressed his unhappiness over what he said the “old and negative stories” in the labour recruitment sector and asked journalists to correct it.

“Sometimes I am surprised that the old issues come up again and again in the media. I don’t understand this. If there is something negative going on now, please highlight this,” he said.

“It’s not right to highlight the old issues. Please correct it,” the minister said.

The minister was speaking at a view exchange meeting with journalists organised by the expatriates’ welfare ministry at a community centre in the city.

Referring to labour recruitment in Malaysia, Imran Ahmad said recruitment cost went up to Tk 4 lakh-Tk 5 lakh from the government fixed rate of Tk 1.5 lakh.

“They cannot recoup the money under their contract period. Therefore, they flee. This happens not for the workers, but for the people like us, the agents and those who provide them with wrong information,” the minister said.

Again, there are cases that the workers find themselves jobless after going to a foreign land when there is no way of get rid of the situation, he added.

Imran Ahmad said he has visited Malaysia and some Middle Eastern countries since he took charge of the ministry and got to learn of how the system of recruitment operates.

He said the ministry, recruiting agencies and even media have a big role to play in creating awareness among the migrants.

A reporter informed the minister that dozens of Bangladeshis became victims of fraud in Malaysia where they had no job under the company that had hired them. Some 30 workers were having a difficult time. There were media reports, and information sent to the expatriates’ ministry officials, but no action was taken.

In response, Imran Ahmad said, “We cannot work based on a news. You have to give us written complaint.”