The Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants, a coalition of 23 migration-focused organisations, in a statement on Tuesday called on the government to put in place an open and transparent labour migration process to Malaysia.
In a statement it also expressed concern over media reports that allegations against individuals linked to a Malaysia-based labour recruitment 鈥榮yndicate鈥� could not be proven.
Citing reports published on the media, the coalition said that it was alarming that former lawmaker and finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal鈥檚 family and three other former lawmakers were reportedly set to be cleared of such allegations.
Malaysia鈥檚 Malaysiakini also reported that Bangladesh had agreed, at Malaysia鈥檚 request, to suspend investigations into a powerful syndicate accused of exploiting Bangladeshi migrant workers, said the statement.
The Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants demanded that the members of the migration racket must be brought to justice and permanently barred from participating in future recruitment, warning against a potential repeat of the irregularities that previously shut down Malaysia鈥檚 labour market to Bangladesh.
It also called for reinvestigation, judicial inquiries and public disclosure of progress by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The coalition noted that in 2022鈥�2024, workers bound for Malaysia were charged five to six times the government-set cost, amounting to several thousand crores of taka in corruption involving syndicates in both countries. Similar networks operated in 2017鈥�2018 without prosecution.
The coalition warned that clearing the accused could allow the syndicate to re-emerge.
It also urged the government to prioritise eliminating such nexus during the chief adviser鈥檚 August 11鈥�13 visit to Malaysia.
Member organisations include Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, WARBE Development Foundation, BRAC, Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme, Ain o Salish Kendra, Bangladeshi Ovhibashi Mohila Sramik Association, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, and Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra along with three individual migration advocates.
BCSM chair Tasneem Siddiqui and co-chair Syed Saiful Haque signed the statement.