How to manage foreigners working illegally in Bangladesh
Is there large number of foreign workers working illegally in Bangladesh? That is very surprising. Who are those foreign workers, why they are in Bangladesh and what sorts of works they do? Wages in Bangladesh are low and quality of live is poor and how and why foreign workers legally or illegally heaped-up there?
In Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries on earth and 152.6 million people cramped in a small space of 143998 sq km, have many foreign workers. But it is very true that there are many foreign workers in Bangladesh and most of them working illegally.
These foreign workers in Bangladesh, again, are mostly from India. They run hair-cuting salons, small businesses of all sorts, jewellery shops, small scale trading, smuggling and 'Hundi' (the most lucrative business). They are not only in Bangladesh but in many countries of the world. Most of them come to Bangladesh just by crossing the boarders and return home now and then the same way. The other day there was a news item in Bangladeshi newspapers stating that there are "5 lakh Indians work illegally in Bangladesh and "Dhaka is to raise the issue at a home secretary-level meeting in New Delhi" sometime soon as if Indian government sent those people with special permission to work/serve in Bangladesh and Bangladesh must deal with the mater with Indian authority face to face. It is unfortunate that our government and bureaucrats often say things that do not make any sense.
In Bangladesh where millions of people are without job and they really lack a breathing space. These foreigners come illegally to take-up jobs and other meagre facilities that are available and which Bangladeshi people badly need for their own survival and to increase their wellbeing. Actually, small businesses and private sector jobs are the backbone of any economy and it is in these sectors largest numbers of people are employed in every country. Invading Bangladesh by Indian workers not only means job loss for Bangladeshi people but some sort of economic back-truck and stagnation too. The most detrimental effect of this situation is that, some wealth is siphoned out of the country by these foreign citizens and, Bangladesh economy does not get any impetus which could occur if foreigners would have spent their earnings in Bangladesh.
Tax evasion is another serious problem. One can, however, point out that many Bangladeshi also work in India and India faces the same disadvantages what Bangladesh is complaining about But there is a difference. Bangladeshi illegal workers in India are mostly domestic helpers and workers in agricultural fields and in very few cases, helping hands in small shops and offices of Indian small private business houses. All these people, legal or illegal arrivals from Bangladesh, and Nepal, India very badly needs due to her booming economy. Again, India tolerates these illegal workers for that very reason. Illegal workers from Bangladesh or Nepal are a much needed impetus for Indian economy whereas such worker from India in Bangladesh is a burden of Bangladesh's poor economy.
No Indian domestic helpers or agricultural labourer comes to Bangladesh for work. Now the question is, why raising this issue at high home secretary level meeting in India instead of taking "proper step" to discourage foreigners coming to Bangladesh for work, legally or illegally? This "proper step" is very simple and one need not seek Scotland Yards' help to find it out and an action to stop it
I have, for last 4/5 years, writing in public media suggesting for identity card for every citizen in Bangladesh. Identity card is an important tool to detect an individual, local or foreigner. Bangladesh could avoid many of her problems if she could introduce a national identity card for each and every citizen. Organizing Identity Card for the whole population may be difficult, time consuming and costly (NOT really, considering the benefit it could bring) for poor and inefficient Bangladesh administration but Identity Card for each and every employee, from factory worker to prime minister, should not be that difficult to organize. Cost could be borne by employers in many cases and government need not spend a Taka except that it is watched carefully and monitored properly.
Along with obligatory Identity card for employees, each and every organization, big or small, must be registered with the government's Patent and Registration department Even a vegetable seller must have an identity card indicating his trade and a trade licence number and it must be registered with the Patent and Registration department
The identity card could help the country to find out the exact number of people employed and where they live and where they come from. Carrying this identity card should be also obligatory so that any suspicious person can be challenged and one can find out who he/she is and where the person is living and working. Showing this Identity Card for renting out flats or rooms should also be obligatory and it must be always registered in a record by the landlord. List of the people with photographs should be kept hanged on the wall at each and every working place, whether it is an office, factory or a barber shop, for national security people to check anytime and whenever they like. Every employee or self-employed person, including even a rickshaw-puller, must be registered and must have an identity card.
And finally, every working person must be registered with tax department and if and when that working person is a foreign national, he/she must be registered even with the police. Most importantly, every foreign worker must have a work and residence permit, obtained from Bangladesh embassy in his/her own country and before he/she comes and starts working in Bangladesh.
Working without work and residence permit should be considered a criminal offence and punishable by law. That is how many developed Western countries manage and control illegal foreign workers. This action may appear draconian and seems very unkind and troublesome but should not Bangladesh introduce it for the greater interest of the nation?
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