Recruitment agencies’ license revoked: ‘Malaysia syndicate’ must not be allowed

Government statistics show that around 2.2 to 2.3 million young people enter Bangladesh's labour market every year. While 1.2 to 1.3 million find employment at home, the remaining 800,000 to 900,000 must seek jobs overseas. For many of them, the journey begins by selling family assets or land, or by taking out high-interest loans to finance a highly uncertain quest for a better future.

Despite hardship, backbreaking work, loneliness and workplace risks, these migrant workers send home remittances every month. Those earnings not only transform the lives of their families but also keep Bangladesh's economy running.

The question, however, is whether more than four decades after Bangladesh began exporting human resources, the country has succeeded in building a safe, hassle-free and fraud-free migration system for those seeking work abroad.

The answer is, to a large extent, no. The history of labour migration to Malaysia is a glaring example.

Malaysia is Bangladesh's second-largest overseas labour market. Yet for years, it has been plagued by allegations of fraud, irregularities and corruption. In September 2018, the Malaysian labour market was closed to Bangladeshi workers because of a syndicate involving 10 recruitment agencies.

After remaining shut for four years, it reopened in 2022. But in June 2024, it was closed again due to the activities of another group widely known as the "Malaysia Syndicate." The prolonged closure of this vital labour market has left only one group paying the price: young Bangladeshis hoping to improve their lives through overseas employment.

Although Malaysia recruits workers from 14 countries, Bangladesh was the only one where a syndicate system developed. Influential figures from both Bangladesh and Malaysia were involved. Initially, 25 recruitment agencies were authorised to send workers, a number that was later increased in phases to 100 agencies.

Former ministers and members of parliament from the Awami League government were reportedly linked to the syndicate. While the government-fixed migration cost was Tk79,000, the syndicate allegedly charged workers around Tk 550,000 each.

Although the syndicate survived through massive bribery and corruption, many Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia ended up living in miserable, inhumane and degrading conditions. The plight of these workers even prompted a statement from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Eventually, the Malaysian government suspended the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh.

Following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Malaysia last month and his bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia has agreed to reopen its labour market to Bangladeshi workers. This is undoubtedly welcome news for thousands of young people seeking opportunities abroad.

Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment's decision to revoke the licences of 49 recruitment agencies linked to the previous Awami League syndicate sets a positive precedent. However, revoking licences alone is not enough. All members of the syndicate should also face legal action. This is essential to ensure that recruitment agencies cannot engage in similar misconduct in the future.

The government must ensure that the process of sending workers to Malaysia is transparent, fair and affordable. It must also remain vigilant so that recruitment agencies cannot once again form politically protected cartels or syndicates. Under no circumstances should Bangladesh lose access to the Malaysian labour market again.