Govt failure behind manpower export decline: BNP

The BNP has blamed the government's 'failures' for Bangladesh's declining manpower export to various countries, including Malaysia.

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Party spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also doubts how much the recently-signed Dhaka-Kuala Lumpur deal will be of help to this sector.

"We believe it is the government's failure that has put a stop to manpower export to the Middle East and Malaysia," he said Friday, responding to a query.

Bangladesh inked four deals with Malaysia, including one on manpower export, during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's just-concluded Kuala Lumpur visit.

Bangladeshi workers are going to the rich South Asian country under government management.

An estimated 600,000 Bangladeshi workers are believed to be working in Malaysia, one of Bangladesh's largest manpower markets.

The protocol signed last week would create jobs for another 12,000 Bangladeshi workers initially and 60,000 workers would be recruited in phases.

Fakhrul said according to their information, a normal pact had been signed that did not specify the extent of manpower that would be exported.

"It is good if there're new agreements on manpower export but it is unclear what sort of pact had been signed," he said.