It is extremely encouraging for our expat community that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Malaysia has reopened the labour market in the country.
This is a development that certainly brings relief and opportunity for thousands of workers seeking better livelihoods abroad.
However, we must remember that this crucial corridor had been shut due to irregularities, mismanagement, and exploitation. While this reopening is more than welcome, it comes with a warning. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.
For years, the Malaysia-Bangladesh labour channel was marred by corruption, inflated migration costs, syndicates controlling recruitment, and workers being trapped in debt before even boarding a plane.
These irregularities were nothing if not systemic failures that harmed workers, embarrassed the nation, and ultimately led Malaysia to suspend recruitment.
This time, Bangladesh must do better. The reopening is a second chance, and that it is already off to a shaky start is a worrying sign, with aspiring workers who reached out to recruiting agencies saying they were told no official communication had yet come from the government.
As such, ensuring transparency in recruitment, regulating agencies strictly, and eliminating syndicate control must be non-negotiable priorities.
Workers must not be forced to pay exorbitant fees, and every step of the migration process must be monitored to prevent exploitation.
Malaysia has shown willingness to work with Bangladesh again, but that willingness is conditional. If irregularities reappear, if workers are abused, or if corruption resurfaces, the market will shut, and the consequences will fall hardest on the very people who sustain our remittance economy.
Reopening the market in Malaysia is just the first step as well, and Bangladesh has an opportunity to rebuild trust, strengthen its labour governance, and prove that it can send workers safely, ethically, and efficiently.