Kuala Lumpur has assured Dhaka that it would soon start the process of legalising some 267,000 Bangladeshi workers, who had completed their registration earlier under the amnesty declared by the government of Malaysia.
The assurance came during a meeting between Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at Probashi Kallayan Bhaban in the capital yesterday.
“Malaysia would soon start the legalising process for the Bangladeshi workers and recruitment under the government-to-government system would rise further,” Expatriates Ministry Secretary Khondaker Showkat Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune.
After the meeting, Hamidi told reporters that his country was eager to work with Bangladesh to resolve the manpower problems in Malaysia.
Hamidi, who led a 12-member delegation to the meeting, said his country would issue identification cards for genuine workers in Malaysia ensuring the welfare of the Bangladeshi workers.
Earlier, Malaysia initiated a move to legalise foreign workers under amnesty declared by the government. Later, some 267,000 Bangladeshi workers, whose documents had expired, legalised themselves under the amnesty. Some 5 lakh Bangladeshis are now working in Malaysia.
Under government-to-government scheme, around 3,000 workers have been sent to Malaysia since November 26, 2012.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
