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Bangladesh and Malaysia have recently signed an MoU paving the way for Bangladeshi migrant workers to reap the benefits of employment opportunities in Malaysia. The MoU, which will be in effect till December 2026, ends a freeze of more than three years of manpower export to Malaysia, after allegations surfaced in 2018 of the exploitation of migrant workers.

While this is a welcome move for both Bangladesh and Malaysia, there are a few issues that need to be addressed immediately for the well-being of the workers travelling to distant lands to earn bread and butter for their families.

First of all, the problem of scamming Malaysia-bound migrant workers can be attributed to the model of the G2G-Plus deal that had previously been signed by the two countries, which allowed only 10 agencies from Bangladesh to recruit workers from the country. The system allowed for the agencies to charge exorbitant amounts from the workers, leaving them destitute—and at times in a state of debt bondage.

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Around Tk 400,000 was charged and taken from each worker travelling to Malaysia, which is way above the government-fixed migration cost. Information surfacing in 2018 revealed that a recruitment syndicate extorted more than 100,000 Malaysia-bound migrant workers alone, with a certain businessman earning more than two billion Malaysian ringgit (RM). Each worker had to pay 20,000 RM to local agents, who then paid other middlemen plaguing the manpower supply chain.

While how such a syndicate smoothly operated within the system is a cause for concern, what the government should be focusing on now is the elimination of such possibilities in the future.

Under the new MOU, Malaysian recruitment agencies will be included in the migration process. In addition, employers in Malaysia will bear the cost of migration incurred in that country. These are good signs. However, workers will still have to pay a certain amount to cover the migration cost in Bangladesh.