PM Hasina warns of actions on failure to send workers to Malaysia

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday warned of taking action against those who are responsible for failure to send migrant workers to MalaysiaPID

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday warned of taking action against those who are responsible for failure to send migrant workers to Malaysia.

“We’re investigating the problems that have taken place this time. If anyone is responsible, they will surely be tried,” she said.

She sounded the note of warnings while replying to supplementary questions from opposition chief whip Mujibul Haque Chunnu during the question-answer session in the House.

The JP leader wanted to know whether tougher action will be taken against the people responsible for being failed to send Malaysia-bound some 17,000 Bangladeshi by May 31 despite having everything, including permission.

In reply, the prime minister told the parliament that her government had introduced special flights to send the workers to Malaysia.

"All workers were sent (to Malaysia) through special flights and other regular flights. But many were left out. The reason will be investigated,” she said.

“Whenever we discuss and decide how many people will go, it is observed that a group of people in our country, who deal with manpower, try to send people in a hurry,” she said.

Briefly describing measures taken by the government to send workers abroad, she said some people want to go abroad through brokers and consequently, they get into trouble.

The parliament went into the budget session at 5pm today presided over by speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

Responding to another question from Awami League lawmaker Mahfizur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, also leader of the house, said that experts have opined that traffic congestion in Dhaka city and its consequential effects are causing annual losses of about $3.8 billion.

“This money will be saved if the metrorail lines are launched under the Time-bound Action Plan 2030, and the opportunity will be created to fully invest the money in the economy,” she added. 

A study has found that after the completion of the entire section of MRT Line-6, during the operation of the metro rail, about Tk 8.38 crore will be saved in terms of daily Travel Time Cost and about Tk 1.18 crore in terms of Vehicle Operation Cost, she said.

In replying to another query of AL lawmaker Faridun Nahar Laily, the Premier said, “It is unfortunate that we are noticing—a certain clique, especially the communal and war criminal clique as well as the BNP-Jamaat, are constantly spreading rumors through social media.” 

“A large part of them live in different developed countries. They are mainly spreading false and distorted news against Bangladesh and the current government through social media like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.”

Legal, technical, and diplomatic steps have been taken at home and abroad to stop this misinformation and rumours, she added.

She said her government has a plan to create a separate 'Cyber Police Unit' with a view to saving cyberspace and combating cybercrime.