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Manpower export to Malaysia gets delayed

Elections to drag process

RAFIQ HASAN
Resumption of manpower export to Malaysia has again become uncertain following the sudden political developments in Kuala Lumpur, according to sources.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday dissolved parliament and announced the date for a fresh general election would be declared today. Political circle in Kuala Lumpur observes that the national polls may take place on March 20-21.
As a result, manpower export from Bangladesh is unlikely to resume before the general elections, the source observed. Visits by delegations from both countries to expedite the resumption process have also been stalled.
"The whole process of manpower
export resumption has slowed down following the dissolution of parliament in Malaysia," said State Minister for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Mohammad Quamrul Islam.
He said Dhaka was prepared to resume exporting fresh workers from this month.
Malaysia stopped recruiting workers from Bangladesh in 1997 following a huge inflow of undocumented workers.
The Malaysian government was supposed to start receiving application from the employers for recruiting workers from Bangladesh from March 1. But Dhaka is yet to confirm any development in this regard.
SEE PAGE 11 COL 7 FROM PAGE 12
Aformalagreementtoresumerecruitmentof freshworkerswassignedbetweenDhakaand KualaLumpurinOctoberlastyear,whichisyet totakeeffectastheMalaysianauthoritiesarestill notready.
The visit of a high-powered delegation headed by Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies President MosharrafHossainMPhas,meanwhile,been suspended. The delegation comprising Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the expatriates welfare and overseasemploymentministryNazirHossain wasscheduledtoflytoMalaysiatoday.
The reason for the suspension was attributed to the absence of the Bangladesh high commissioner in Malaysia. The newly appointed High Commissioner Shafi U Ahmedisyetto take over the chargewhile his predecessor MasudAziz lastweekjoined the Bangladesh Embassy in Jordan as the new envoy.
Aprivate sectordelegationfromMalaysia, whichwassupposedtocometoDhakatovisit thetrainingcentresforintendingworkers,was alsosuspendedwithoutcitinganyreasons.
Sources with the recruiters said the
demandforBangladeshiworkers inMalaysia isveryhighandseveralmillionpeoplecouldbe employedinafewyears oncetherecruitment offreshworkersresumes.
Recruiters fear some unscrupulous manpower exporters, mainly travel agents, maynowtryto sendalargenumberofpeople to Malaysiathroughunofficial channels inthe absence of a formal channel. The whole processmaystop againifthenumberofillegal workers becomes high in Malaysia, they added.