Bangladesh, Malaysia Agree To Establish Cleaner, Transparent Recruitment System - Yunus

By Voon Miaw Ping

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Bangladesh have agreed to work towards establishing a cleaner and more transparent recruitment process for Bangladeshi workers.

Chief Adviser to Bangladesh’s government Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus said the matters have been discussed in depth during his meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Tuesday.

He also acknowledged existing flaws in the current process and stressed the need to “clean it up” to avoid problems for either side.

“We had a very elaborate discussion on how to proceed without having trouble for the Malaysian government.

“We both promised ourselves to clean up the system and to make it easier and transparent,” he told the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in an exclusive interview held on the sidelines of his official visit here.

The interview was led by Bernama’s Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj together with Editor of International News Service, Voon Miaw Ping, and Assistant Editor of Economic News Service, Kisho Kumari Sucedaram.

The Nobel Prize laureate said that while Malaysia needs foreign workers, Bangladesh also seeks to ensure that the recruitment of its citizens is transparent, allowing them to work abroad with dignity, proper rights and benefits.

“Malaysia needs people and we need to have these people come here to make a living for themselves and their families. So both sides need each other. 

“There is no shortage of goodwill. It’s a question of putting together and see where the things go wrong and then we track and clean it up,” he said. 

As of February 2025, Bangladeshi nationals form the largest group of foreign workers in Malaysia, numbering about 898,970.

They represent a critical workforce in the country,  primarily employed in the construction, manufacturing, plantation and service sectors.

The Malaysian Home Ministry has implemented the Multiple Entry Visa (MEV) facility for Bangladeshi workers, effective August 8, underscoring Kuala Lumpur’s commitment to ethical and regulated labour cooperation with Dhaka.

Yunus was on a three-day official visit to Malaysia from August 11, at the invitation of Anwar, and reciprocating the Prime Minister’s visit to Dhaka in October 2024.

-- BERNAMA