Malaysia denies plan to take 2 lakh Bangladeshi workers within six months

A Bangladeshi state minister's claim that Malaysia plans to recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months does not represent the official position of the Bangladeshi government, says Malaysia government’s spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.

He said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan had informed him that the statement was made by a junior minister and should not be regarded as an official declaration by the Bangladeshi government.

"It does not represent the official decision of the Bangladeshi government. That is what the Human Resources Minister informed me. So, it is not an official position," he told reporters during his weekly press conference here.

Bangladeshi Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam recently said Malaysia planned to recruit about 200,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next six months.

He said the workers would be recruited through companies approved by Malaysian authorities, with recruitment beginning in phases at the end of September and completed within six months.

In June, Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to consider reopening Malaysia's labour market to Bangladeshi workers.

Malaysia restricted the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in 2024 following reports of exploitation, including debt bondage, forced labour and workers arriving without the jobs promised to them.

The reported intake comes as Putrajaya seeks to reduce its reliance on foreign labour, with the government targeting a reduction in foreign workers to about 10 per cent of the total workforce by 2030.

The NST is seeking further clarification from Ramanan.

Source: New Straits Times