Malaysia job market being handed to syndicate, fascists: Jamaat
Jamaat warns restricted recruitment could raise migration costs
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has warned that Malaysia's labour market could again fall under the control of a recruitment syndicate, days before the country is expected to resume hiring Bangladeshi workers.
In a statement today (23 August), Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar alleged that selecting only 25 recruiting agencies to send workers to Malaysia would create a syndicate-based system and harm migrant workers.
"Two days ago, the governments of the two countries selected only 25 recruiting agencies to send workers, effectively creating a syndicate-based labour market," he said.
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Porwar warned that the arrangement could push the cost of migrating to Malaysia to Tk6–7 lakh per worker.
His remarks came after Malaysia selected 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies through its Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), ahead of the reopening of the labour market after more than two years.
The previous recruitment system had been criticised over allegations of excessive fees and irregularities. Although Bangladesh had fixed the maximum migration cost at Tk78,990, workers reportedly paid substantially more.
Nearly 450,000 Bangladeshi workers travelled to Malaysia under the previous arrangement. The government revoked the licences of 49 recruiting agencies in July over their alleged involvement in the recruitment syndicate.
Malaysia's labour market for Bangladeshi workers has remained closed since June 2024, with workers expected to start travelling again from the last week of August.
Porwar said more than 2,000 licensed recruiting agencies operate in Bangladesh and demanded that the Malaysian market remain open to members of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) and experienced agencies on an equal basis.
He also alleged that some officials of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment were involved with the syndicate.
"The government must immediately withdraw from all activities that go against public interest and ensure a safe overseas labour market," he said.
