Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday assured that his government would give immediate attention to the fresh entry of 18,000 Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia in the first phase.
“We have discussed the whole system. And we have gone through a very transparent procedure. We need workers but they can’t be treated as modern slaves, no matter if they are from Bangladesh or any other country,” he said.
The visiting Malaysian prime minister said this while responding to a question during a joint press appearance with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at Hotel InterContinental after bilateral talks.
Anwar Ibrahim however reminded Bangladesh to remain careful about the criminal activities of anyone- either Malaysians or foreigners in Malaysia, reports BSS.
Prof Yunus expressed his gratitude to the Malaysian premier on behalf of the people of Bangladesh for making this announcement on the workers issue.
An estimated 800,000 Bangladeshis now live and work in Malaysia. Of them, about 450,000 migrated between August 2022 and May this year.
Earlier, Yunus and the Malaysian prime minister had a brief one-on-one meeting at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport before their bilateral talks at Hotel InterContinental.
He was accorded a red carpet reception on his arrival on a very short official trip to take the relations between the two countries to a new height.
Prof Yunus said, he was ‘very happy’ to welcome his old friend in Dhaka as they have acquaintance with each other for over four decades.
During the talks, the chief adviser said, he spoke briefly on the student-led revolution, the sacrifice of the students and people made in the movement, and the carnage committed by the ousted government.
The chief adviser also spoke about his long association with Malaysian universities and its leaders.
They boarded the same car to travel to the bilateral venue in an expression of their close friendship.
During the bilateral meeting, they discussed three core areas- political, trade and investment.
The issues of mutual interest, including economic, political, trade and investment, education, technology and human resource development, manpower export, higher education cooperation, communications, infrastructure development, and defence cooperation were also highlighted.
In addition, the issue of Bangladesh becoming a ‘Sectoral Dialogue Partner’ in ASEAN in terms of regional cooperation was specially raised. Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025. Yunus said Rohingya issues were also discussed in their meeting.
"This visit is very important in terms of bilateral relations and this visit is expected to be considered as an expression of deepening bilateral relations and enduring friendship between Bangladesh and Malaysia,” said Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, reports UNB.
Malaysian prime minister laid emphasis on ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ and addressing the issues of Malaysian companies in Bangladesh and vice-versa at a faster pace.
Anwar Ibrahim said they do not compromise with corruption, governance and issues of economic fundamentals. He also said the joint commission meeting can be held as soon as possible.
The Malaysian prime minister, who led a 58-member delegation, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2pm.
Prof Yunus received the Malaysian prime minister at the airport to take the relations between the two countries to a new height.
After almost a decade, a Malaysian prime minister visited Bangladesh, and this official visit was the first by the head of any government to Bangladesh since the formation of the interim government led by Yunus on August 8.
Anwar Ibrahim was directly taken to Hotel InterContinental from the airport where he spent a couple of hours.
Prof Yunus also hosted high tea in honour of the Malaysian prime minister.
Later, the Malaysian premier met President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban and signed the visitor's book there.
Malaysia is the eighth largest investor in Bangladesh. Malaysian companies, including several owned by its sovereign funds, have invested more than $5 billion in Bangladesh and are now willing to invest more, including in education.
The Malaysian prime minister left Dhaka at 7pm on Friday wrapping up his brief visit to Bangladesh.
