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Unwanted Labour
Kuala Lumpur appears to be acting correctly tn dealing with the influx of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly from Asian coun-trfes, including Bangladesh, who have entered Malaysia in search of Jobs in its booming economy. In effect, many of them may be already employed in the country's rubber estates and manufacturing industries, using false identity cards which are allegedly distributed by networks in Indonesia. Thailand and Singapore. It is not. therefore, surprising that many of these illegals live in substandard conditions, earning pathetically low wages. That many of them end up by supplementing their income from criminal activities. ranging from armed robberies to drug trafficking. only adds to the concern of the authorities.
While tightening the immigration control, the Malaysian government has set up a system of registration of these unwanted immigrants. According to the latest report, more than 145,000 such illegals have registered since the procedure was Introduced in November. It Is not clear from press reports as to the total number of people who had applied for registration and whether or not those who have compiled with the procedure would be now entitled for regular jobs
What is of immediate concern to all. the deadline for registration falls on Tuesday when unregistered Illegal workers would be facing deportation from Malaysia. Meanwhile, the country's Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi will be meeting more than 20 heads of foreign missions to explain the situation in the light of the impending deportation of the unwanted labour. It will be a good gesture on the part of Malaysia if the deadline for deportation is extended, even by a month, to enable the countries to sort out the mess their nationals, the illegal workers, find themselves in.
The last report we had published on this subject in this paper suggested that there were about 15.000 illegal Bangladeshi workers now living In Malaysia. We do not know if the number Is still the same. Let us hope that a sizable proportion among them have qualified for registration.
It Is important for the Government of Bangladesh to take this as a test case for reviewing the whole situation about the export of our manpower to such labour-scarce countries like Malaysia. Singapore and Japan, not to mention the Gulf region. Since it is the private sector In these countries which is the biggest employer In manufacturing and construction industries, a memorandum of understanding |MOU) signed among governments does not necessarily produce Jobs for our workers. This means we should establish a dialogue with the private sector. Again, much can be done to improve on the selection procedure of workers looking for opportunities in these countries. Here, the role of private employment agencies in Dhaka, not to mention of their associates at the other end. must be defined and constantly supervised. It is also important that once selected for possible jobs in the coun tries In Asia or In the Gulf, the prospective candidates should undergo orientation courses in different skills as well as language lessons, with a view to raising their productivity and usefulness in their new work environment. Since these workers would be remitting part of their earning to Bangladesh in foreign exchange, the authorities should certainly invest in the setting up of the proposed orientation courses. We must know that what is at stake is not Just employment for our Job-seekers but the image of the country.