Unrest within Baira over Malaysian labour market, ruckus in AGM

An unrest brewed within the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agency (Baira) during today's annual general meeting (AGM) over allegations of misappropriation of crores of taka through syndicates in the Malaysian labour market. 

The chaos erupted when questions were raised about the failure to send workers to Malaysia despite taking money from them, during the organisation's 33rd AGM held at Hotel InterContinental in the capital.

Meanwhile, an anti-syndicate section led by Baira's Senior Vice-President Reaz-ul-Islam walked out of the meeting, alleging that they had been humiliated.

At a press conference later that afternoon, Reaz-ul-Islam said, "Due to our protests against the corruption caused by the syndicate, which has led to the closure of the Malaysian labour market, Baira president, secretary general, and syndicate leader Ruhul Amin Swapan incited some members to harass us. I was even attacked while seated next to the president."

Reaz-ul-Islam and his faction demanded that all irregularities and syndicate activities within Baira be addressed and those responsible be brought to justice. They also called for the abolition of all syndicate practices in the manpower export sector to ensure equal opportunities for all licence holders.

During the press conference, they also said that the syndicate leaders extorted Tk152,000 from each passenger going to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, in a press release issued this evening, Baira said the AGM concluded in a friendly atmosphere. 

The press release, signed by the organisation's Public Relations Officer Md Abul Hossain, acknowledged some tension but described it as a result of differing opinions. 

The release said, "During the discussions, some speakers attempted to address personal issues unrelated to the agenda, which prompted the president to request that they stay on topic. This led to a small group intentionally creating a commotion and leaving the meeting. Despite this, the AGM continued and ended amicably."

Currently, only 100 out of 2,500 registered recruiting agencies are allowed to send workers to Malaysia, a situation widely criticised as being controlled by a syndicate. 

Most recruiting agencies were against the decision of the Malaysian authorities to form a syndication system, but still only a limited number of agencies received permission.

Although Baira President Abul Bashar and Secretary General Ali Haider Chowdhury initially opposed the syndicate but are now in favour, and are aligned with the agencies who are sending workers to Malaysia. 

Approximately 17,000 Bangladeshi workers, who had completed all necessary documentation, were unable to travel to Malaysia because the agencies failed to provide air tickets before the Malaysian deadline of 31 May.

The Ministry of Expatriate Welfare has formed a committee to investigate the corruption and the sufferings of the workers bound for Malaysia.