Address plight of undocumented Bangladeshis in Malaysian prison

I WISH to highlight once again the revelation made by the honourable Bangladeshi Member of Parliament (MP) Tanvir Shakil Joy that up to a thousand of his fellow citizens have been duped into working in Malaysia, only to find themselves languishing in prisons due to their undocumented status.

As an MP, I am equally and deeply saddened over the plight of these prisoners and their families in Bangladesh, many of whom have been scammed, exploited and extorted in hopes of working in Malaysia.

Many of them have sold their properties to pay their way here, only to find themselves incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.

These Bangladeshis come to Malaysia seeking employment in unattractive, low-paying menial jobs often labelled as “dirty, dangerous and difficult”, which very few Malaysians are willing to undertake.

There is no doubt that even words cannot describe their anguish, especially considering the hope they hold of providing for their children’s education to break the cycle of poverty. If this situation does not constitute an affront to justice, then what does?

The question that many of us have been asking time and again is: “How can these undocumented foreign workers be allowed to enter our country without the knowledge of our authorities, especially the Immigration Department?”

There must be loopholes and corruption involved, and those responsible for bringing them here or facilitating their entry must face the full force of the law.

It is high time the government take heed of the advice to amend the law, consolidating the responsibility for handling applications, vetting, processing and renewing necessary documents for foreign workers under a single ministry. The more the bureaucracy, inevitably the greater the opportunities for corruption.

Furthermore, unless they were involved in criminal activities, these Bangladeshis who have become victims of injustice should be allowed to apply for job vacancies in the country instead of bringing in new workers. Placing them behind bars will only strain our prison resources.