The syndicates responsible for deceiving Malaysia-bound Bangladeshi workers, facilitating the repeated exploitation of vulnerable individuals and triggering the closure of the Southeast Asian labour market have got away scot-free.
They gave free rein to their recruiting agencies to amass thousands of crores of taka in illegal profits, exploiting the aspirant workers, but the respective governments have never tried to bring them to book.
“Malaysia has closed its market to Bangladeshi workers at least three times in the last 15 years. Each time, the main culprits were unscrupulous recruiting agency owners. The governments assured us of taking stern action against them, but they never followed through for unknown reasons,” Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) Chairman Shakirul Islam told the Daily Sun.
Malaysia’s labour market shut down in 2009, 2018 and 2024 and every time, irregularities, corruption and bribery involving members of a syndicate formed to manipulate the recruitment process were blamed.
Bangladesh is now unable to send workers to Malaysia as the Southeast Asian country closed its doors to it and some other countries on 31 August 2024.
The latest scam
In 2022, Malaysia’s labour market opened for the third time, only to be controlled by the old evil syndicate that had stormed the potential of the sector on the previous two occasions.
Initially, only five agencies were selected to send workers, which later increased to a syndicate of 100 agencies in two phases.
They charged Tk5,44,000 on average, according to a survey conducted by the US-based NGO Veritas among Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia from May to October 2023, though the governments of the two countries agreed to limit the migration cost to Tk78,990.
The opportunity to select the recruiting agencies was given to Malaysia. Bestinet, the company owning the Foreign Workers Central Management System (FWCMS) software MiGRAMS, used for the recruitment of workers in Malaysia, took this opportunity. The company, owned by a Malaysian national of Bangladeshi origin, Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor alias Amin Nor, controlled the entire business, sitting in Malaysia.
Former Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), Ruhul Amin Shawpon, worked as his representative in Bangladesh. Offering three Awami League and Jatiya Party lawmakers and family members of another lawmaker, Nor and Shawpon prepared a list and decided on who would be included in the syndicate.
Former Awami League MP from Feni-2 Nizam Uddin Hazari’s Snigdha Overseas ranked fourth highest among agencies sending most workers to Malaysia.
Besides, 5M International of former Feni-3 Jatiya Party MP Lt Gen (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, Ahmed International of former Dhaka-20 MP Benjir Ahmed and Orbitals Enterprise of Kashmeri Kamal and Orbitals International of Nafisa Kamal, wife and daughter respectively of former Finance Minister and MP from Cumilla-10 AHM Mustafa Kamal received big recruitment opportunities.
Apart from them, ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s former adviser Salman F Rahman, her sister Sheikh Rehana, her former protocol officer Alauddin Chowdhury Nasim, former minister Imran Ahmad, former Senior Secretary Dr Ahmed Monirus Saleheen, former BAIRA President Abul Bashar, Secretary General Ali Haider Chowdhury, and other individuals involved with the fascist government were also part of this syndicate.
The agencies outside the syndicate had to pay them a sum ranging from Tk152,000 to Tk165,000 per worker. In that manner, the agencies in the syndicate earn money without even receiving any demand orders or sending any workers.
They together made a business of Tk2,593 crore by sending around 476,000 people since the latest reopening of the market.
The Daily Sun tried to reach the accused owners of the mentioned agencies. But their mobile phones were either switched off or they did not pick up phone calls.
BAIRA members seek justice
BAIRA members who became victims of such syndication have claimed that if the syndicate is dismantled, workers could be sent to Malaysia at Tk150,000. However, the organisation alleges that a long-active syndicate has obstructed the process and embezzled a massive amount of money.
On 21 April, a delegation from BAIRA raised these allegations while submitting a memorandum to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. The delegation included former Senior Vice President of BAIRA Riazul Islam, Noman Chowdhury, senior member Khandaker Abu Ashfaq and joint secretary general Fakhrul Islam.
The memorandum claims that a syndicate, formed with the direct backing of the former fascist government, established a monopoly on Malaysia’s labour market and embezzled billions of taka.
According to BAIRA, each worker had to pay Tk400,000 to Tk500,000 to go to Malaysia, of which an additional Tk152,000 was an illegal fee imposed by the syndicate.
This included 5,000 ringgit collected under Malaysia’s online worker management system, FWCMS, which was controlled by one of the syndicate’s key leaders, Ruhul Amin Shawpon.
The memorandum further states that despite multiple ongoing cases with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the accused individuals remain at large. BAIRA alleges that Ruhul Amin Shawpon, who has been on the run along with his associates since 5 August, is attempting to reestablish a new syndicate in Malaysia. They claim that the syndicate has embezzled approximately Tk12,304 crore through an IT company named Bestinet.
Due to this syndicate, nearly 17,000 workers were unable to travel to Malaysia despite completing all requirements. Many workers who did reach Malaysia are living in inhumane conditions as they have not been assured of jobs, salaries, or accommodation.
BAIRA leader Fakhrul Islam said, “The Malaysian labour market is not the exclusive property of any group. It must be made open to all valid recruiting agencies, and measures must be taken to ensure the sending of workers at a lower cost.”
He further stated that in the upcoming Joint Working Group meeting, two controversial clauses of the previous Memorandum of Understanding must be cancelled, and the disputed FWCMS system must be abolished.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
