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Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Sunday urged the Brunei finance minister to remove the discriminatory rule for Bangladeshi migrant workers who have to pay $1,600 each as a security deposit while the amount is only $500 for Malaysian workers.
Tipu made the call at a meeting with Brunei Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Minister for Finance and Economy II Haji Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah and Minister for Home Affairs Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman at a hotel in Dhaka, a press release said.
The commerce minister, who was the chief guest at the meeting, highlighted some of the major benefits provided by Bangladesh’s foreign investment policies.
Besides the gigantic domestic market, he said, investing in Bangladesh will offer additional access to the Indian and Chinese markets as these two markets allow most of the made in Bangladesh products duty free.
At the event, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam urged Brunei to recruit more Bangladeshis as the South Asian country has been focusing more on creating skilled manpower.
He also said that Bangladesh may offer a dedicated economic zone for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries if Brunei provides capital and marketing assistance.
Finance Minister Amin Abdullah said the Brunei port is nearer to China, therefore using the port as a transshipment hub would save time and money for Bangladeshi businesses.
Home Minister Ahmaddin praised the contribution of the skilled Bangladeshi manpower in keeping Brunei’s economy afloat.
Presiding over the meeting, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin urged the visiting delegation from Brunei to consider Bangladesh as their next trade and investment destination.
To facilitate investment, there are ongoing development projects — deep seaports, 100 special economic zones, hi-tech and tourism parks, nuclear power plant, metro rail, LNG terminal and construction of roads and railways to bring the whole country under a common network, he said.
“So, our story is now very different from what it was before and Brunei can choose Bangladesh as their next destination for trade and investment.”
“We foresee the scope of strengthening cooperation in trade and investment with a focus on development and innovation, food processing, ICT, plastic, petrochemical, shipbuilding, tourism, infrastructure development, petroleum and energy and Knowledge transfer to facilitate the transition of the 4IR,” the FBCCI chief added.
FBCCI Director Priti Chakraborty recommended joint ventures to set up training institutes to create skilled manpower in the field of shipbuilding, health and ICT.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan and Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) President Naser Ezaz Bijoy also spoke at the meeting, read the release.
Among others, FBCCI vice-presidents Md Amin Helaly, Salahuddin Alamgir and Md Habib Ullah Dawn were also present.
After the meeting, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between ZES Trading and Ghanim International Corporation to introduce Brunei Halal Foods in the Bangladeshi market.
Nur Rahman from Ghanim International and FBCCI Director Kazi Ertaza Hassan signed the MoU on behalf of the organisations.
Later, Finance Minister Amin Abdullah and Home Minister Ahmaddin inaugurated the flagship outlet of Brunei Halal Foods at Gulshan-2 in Dhaka.
