Saudis pleasantly received the news that the recruitment ban on workers and domestic helpers from Bangladesh had been lifted. Starved from bringing in labour from their previous favourite, Indonesia, Saudis now are sending employment requests by the thousands to recruitment agencies in Dhaka. The numbers are expected to rise as the floodgates open for labour on demand.
The ban had been implemented following a series of unflattering disclosures in the Saudi media on the nefarious and illegal activities of a few Bangladeshi guest workers. The incidents were highly publicised and soured public opinion of Bangladeshi workers. The majority had been unjustly maligned as a source of criminal activity and this sort of generalisation served as a gross injustice to the majority of the million-plus workers who left their South Asian country to earn a living here. It is also regrettable that our media chooses to focus on the misdeeds of a few Bangladeshi nationals caught in a web of criminal activity and collectively tarnish a whole group of hard-working expatriates who are performing vital and much needed services across the kingdom.
Bangladesh is a country that has in recent times gone through a turbulent political landscape littered with blood. It is unfortunate that this blood was caused by Bangladeshis fighting each other, perhaps sparked by the personal dislike of its two dominant personalities, both of whom who happen to be women — Shaikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister of the country and the leader of the Awami League, and the other lady in the form of Khaleda Zia, leader of the opposition party, the BNP, and a former prime minister herself. Events on the political arena in recent times suggest that the strong willed personality of the two key female figures in Bangladesh politics is etched in unyielding granite, with both women at odds with each other on just about every issue. These hardened stances have been an impediment to the country’s positive growth and stability.
But Bangladesh is a resilient country. It boasts of a diligent work force and a thoughtfully planned educational system. Its workforce is the reason behind the surge of multinationals seeking to establish a production-based presence of textile products. The export of garments has steadily increased over the last few years with more foreign enterprises coming in, attracted by the cheap labour cost and the favourable tax perks for setting up shop.
The majority if its people are young and growing, and while that may be true of some other countries, Bangladeshis are not idle. They are hard working and productive and given a peaceful political landscape, Bangladesh could well indeed be on the road to success. Through their industrious activity, they are one of the few countries in the world that is almost totally self reliant on food. With a population nearing 160 million, and with almost 60 per cent under the age of 25, the country has produced consistent economic growth for the past decade. This has resulted in a burgeoning middle class with increased purchasing power and economic clout. The country boasts of a well-educated, highly adaptive and industrious workforce with the lowest wages and salaries in the region. English is widely spoken, and ongoing government programmes are continually developing and upgrading the skills of the workforce.
The nation is in the process of transition from a predominantly agricultural economy to an industrial and service economy, and the private sector is playing an increasingly active role in the economic affairs of the country, while the government concentrates on the physical and social infrastructure when its attention is not diverted by political unrest. Even state-owned enterprises, traditionally an oasis of bureaucratic inefficiency, have been undergoing rapid restructuring.
Outstanding report card
The numbers don’t lie. In spite of the current political standoff, the country’s report card includes the following: A steady annual GDP growth of 5 per cent or over in the past decade, inflation held to single digits, the gradual shifting from the exports of traditional goods to more value-added items and an emphasis on manufacturing sectors coupled with stable fundamentals such as exchange and interest rates, low debt and high foreign currency reserves.
To achieve that, the labour force has had to be developed. The government has defined ambitious goals including the elimination of illiteracy within three years. A programme is currently in the works that will increase enrolment at primary school levels by 100 per cent annually. There are also plans to improve the quality of education, thus allowing for the emergence of a new generation of Bangladeshis knowledgeable about the latest scientific and technological trends. The country’s goal is offer graduate level education to all citizens for free, coupled with higher salaries for lecturers and professors at these institutions.
One should not look at Bangladesh simply as a source of cheap labour. The country also offers attractive investment opportunities in many industries and business ventures that that would generate profitable returns to potential GCC investors.
Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
