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A father’s struggle

Cheated by manpower brokers, Sirajganj farmer toils in Malaysia

PORIMOL PALMA, back from Malaysia
In the midst of a busy Eid shopping day in the bustling island city of Penang, Musa Sheikh, 53, was selling tabiz, amulets thought to bring good luck and protect people from diseases. This is how he tries to earn a few extra ringgits in Malaysia.
“People here don't care for tabiz. Only some Bangladeshis buy them once in a while. Whatever I get is my income," said Musa, who looks much older than his age.
His tabiz for good luck does not seem to help him much. He does not have a valid
work permit in Malaysia. Even if he had one, employers would be unlikely to hire him for work given his age and weak physique. He stays without any work for almost half a month. In his spare time, he sells his good luck tabiz.
His income from work in construction is not constant. On a good job he gets Malaysian Ringgit (RM) 1200 (Tk 25,000). He can then send home RM 800. Other times he earns about RM 400, just enough for him to get by.
"I haven't eaten well in a long time, but I manage. Allah helps..Musa sighed while talking to this reporter at a restaurant in Penang's Komtar area beside a mega mall - Gama market. The place is a popular hangout destination for Bangladeshi migrants, especially on weekends (Sundays).
Musa Sheikh, a marginal farmer from Saidabad union in Sirajganj, had come to Malaysia in 2007, spending a total of Tk 2.5 lakh for a job in construction. Then a strong man, he was confident and full of hope that he would earn enough to change the lives of his family - wife, two daughters and a son.
It did not take him long for his dreams to shatter once he landed in Malaysia. Musa Sheikh was never given a work permit though he tried repeatedly and spent huge sums of money.
In three attempts in the last eight years, he spent nearly Tk 1.84 lakh (RM 8,000) through brokers. All of them took his money and were full of promises but he remained without a visa.
Musa Sheikh was forced to be an irregular migrant, one of the hundreds of thousands of migrants in Malaysia.
An estimated six lakh Bangladeshis work in Malaysia, half of them are of undocumented status. Irregular workers frequently face various exploita-
tions, including low wages, detention, and bribes to officials. They live in constant fear of police raids and have to bribe their way out of arrests.
Musa has not been arrested by police yet, probably because he looks old and frail, making him an unattractive target, Musa thinks.
Musa has not seen his family in the last eight years. He toils day and night for the sake of the family, and mostly for the education of his only son, Raihan.
"It is very hard to work and live in Malaysia alone without a family. Only those who work here know what it takes,” Musa said, his eyes filling with tears.
"But, I do it because of my son's education," he said. He brought out pictures of his son and daughter. Raihan studies in BA Honours in English in a private university in Dhaka. He needs Tk 6,000 monthly andTk 35,000 each semester.
"Once my son completes his studies in two years, I hope he can start earning and my struggle will end in Malaysia," said Musa.
Before he could finish the sentence, the Muezzin of the local mosque called out the evening Azan and Musa Sheikh got up to hurry to the nearby mosque.
Offered iftar, he declined reluctantly and said, "I will have iftar in the mosque... it is free there."