How does Bangladesh in turmoil affect Malaysia, one of its top 10 trade partners
An aerial photograph shows Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists gathering near a poster of its chair Khaleda Zia during a rally in Dhaka on August 7, 2024 as Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus is set to lead a caretaker government following mass protests. — AFP pic
Thursday, 08 Aug 2024 7:00 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 — The ongoing political turbulence in Bangladesh has caused ripples worldwide, not least in Malaysia which has significant investments in the country totalling some US$872.30 million.
Bilateral trade between both nations reached close to US$4 billion (RM17.9 billion) between July 2022 and July 2023, according to a Bernama report last March.
Additionally, there are 386 Malaysian companies registered to do business in Bangladesh.
On the flipside, Bangladesh is a major manpower source country for Malaysia, which is heavily reliant on migrant labour to fill hundreds of thousands of vacancies in diverse sectors from plantations, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and construction to domestic services and food and beverage.
Domestically for Malaysia, could the current situation in Bangladesh shake up our economy, and if yes, to what extent?
“The current riots in Bangladesh don’t affect Malaysia at all, because the workers who were supposed to come in, have already come in,” Sukumaran Nair, an independent consultant for foreign workers’ affairs, told Malay Mail when contacted.
He noted that the bulk of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia are deployed in the plantation sector, adding that if that sector were affected, the government has alternatives.
“The first choice is Indonesia and the second choice is Bangladesh. If we can bring in workers from Indonesia, we have no problem,” he said.
For now though, he said Malaysian companies in the plantation sector have nothing to worry about as the “government has already given enough quota” to those in need of field workers.
Thursday, 08 Aug 2024 7:00 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 — The ongoing political turbulence in Bangladesh has caused ripples worldwide, not least in Malaysia which has significant investments in the country totalling some US$872.30 million.
Bilateral trade between both nations reached close to US$4 billion (RM17.9 billion) between July 2022 and July 2023, according to a Bernama report last March.
Additionally, there are 386 Malaysian companies registered to do business in Bangladesh.
On the flipside, Bangladesh is a major manpower source country for Malaysia, which is heavily reliant on migrant labour to fill hundreds of thousands of vacancies in diverse sectors from plantations, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and construction to domestic services and food and beverage.
Domestically for Malaysia, could the current situation in Bangladesh shake up our economy, and if yes, to what extent?
“The current riots in Bangladesh don’t affect Malaysia at all, because the workers who were supposed to come in, have already come in,” Sukumaran Nair, an independent consultant for foreign workers’ affairs, told Malay Mail when contacted.
He noted that the bulk of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia are deployed in the plantation sector, adding that if that sector were affected, the government has alternatives.
“The first choice is Indonesia and the second choice is Bangladesh. If we can bring in workers from Indonesia, we have no problem,” he said.
For now though, he said Malaysian companies in the plantation sector have nothing to worry about as the “government has already given enough quota” to those in need of field workers.
A file photograph showing Bangladeshi workers in line outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. — AFP pic
Local think tank National Human Resources Association Malaysia president, Zarina Ismail, shared Sukumaran’s views.
“Of course there will be changes, but how far this is going to impact us, I cannot say accurately.
“What I understand now is that the government is not bringing in foreign workers except those in the plantation sector. I don’t think we will be badly affected,” she told Malay Mail.
Like Sukumaran, Zarina said that should the unrest prolong to the point its external economy is disrupted, the Malaysian government could tap other manpower source countries like Nepal.
Consultant Wong Chun Hung who works with JNT Manpower Solutions said his agency would turn to Nepal if tensions in Bangladesh persist.
“The Bangladeshi workers we bring in are mostly for cleaning work,” he said.
He related that his agency previously brought them in to work in the construction sector, but added that most of them are now in the sanitation sector.
“The situation in Bangladesh might affect a little, but we can still bring in Nepalese, so it should be okay,” he said.
More than 400,000 Bangladeshis have travelled to Malaysia since 2022, when border restrictions were lifted post pandemic, according to Bangladeshi news portal The Daily Star, citing the country’s Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.
Local think tank National Human Resources Association Malaysia president, Zarina Ismail, shared Sukumaran’s views.
“Of course there will be changes, but how far this is going to impact us, I cannot say accurately.
“What I understand now is that the government is not bringing in foreign workers except those in the plantation sector. I don’t think we will be badly affected,” she told Malay Mail.
Like Sukumaran, Zarina said that should the unrest prolong to the point its external economy is disrupted, the Malaysian government could tap other manpower source countries like Nepal.
Consultant Wong Chun Hung who works with JNT Manpower Solutions said his agency would turn to Nepal if tensions in Bangladesh persist.
“The Bangladeshi workers we bring in are mostly for cleaning work,” he said.
He related that his agency previously brought them in to work in the construction sector, but added that most of them are now in the sanitation sector.
“The situation in Bangladesh might affect a little, but we can still bring in Nepalese, so it should be okay,” he said.
More than 400,000 Bangladeshis have travelled to Malaysia since 2022, when border restrictions were lifted post pandemic, according to Bangladeshi news portal The Daily Star, citing the country’s Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.
Not mentioned here are the Billions of ringgit of Remittance funds sent annually by Banglas back to their homes.
ReplyDeleteLike it or not, Banglas and Malaysia have major impact on each other s economy.
Like the Hamas at Gaza.....give them citizenship IF THEY ARE ALL FROM THE FACIST RACIST SUPREMACIST HAMAS-HEZBOLLAH-TALIBAN RELIGION THAT THE XPM, AH LONG SUE TAN LOVES SO MUCH AND USE YOUR ZAKAT MONEY TO BUY THEM HOMES AND EDUCATION....AYUH...JAHANAMKAN EKONOMI MALAYSIAL LAGI....POODAH & PI MAMPUS PKR PAS UMNO AMANAH DAN SEMUA APARATUS ISLMA AJARAN BODOH SESAK!
ReplyDeleteHeady stuffs, it seems. Wasn't it said somewhere that the world is maya or something to the effect? Share as is. Yeah, Bangladesh was mentioned in the intel "leak" but no one really can frame the proper picture...but let's see how things turn out...
ReplyDeleteSeems like India is not liking what is happening around them.
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https://x.com/WarHorizon/status/1821347851521441891?t=8xxKzpT1fSdoPmtE0bVy1g&s=19
Clintons + Bangladesh + Cabal 🧵
A short analysis I have done based on my research since the events in Bangladesh in the last 72 hours.
Ukraine wasn't the starting point for the Cabal, Bangladesh was.
A Thread 👇
Muhammed Yunus a Nobel Prize winner is selected by the Student protestors to be the next leader of Bangladesh. We will be examining who this person is in the below tweets.
Let's examine this closely in the below series of tweets.
1) The Bangladesh Protests & Overthrow of Sheikh Haseena
What just happened in Bangladesh is ominously similar to 2014’s “EuroMaidan” in Ukraine where legitimate grievances gave rise to a nationwide protest movement that was then co-opted by political opportunists, radicals, and external forces to carry out regime change
Sequence of Events:
26 November 2023: “Russia Warned there might be a Color Revolution In Bangladesh”
10 January 2024: “The Outcome Of The Bangladeshi & Bhutanese Elections Gives India Strategic Breathing Space”
28 January 2024: “The Bangladeshi Opposition’s New Narrative Is Meant To Maximally Appeal To The West”
27 May 2024: “Bangladesh Warned About A Western Plot To Carve Out A Christian Proxy State In The Region
25 July 2024: “The Unrest In Bangladesh Isn’t A Color Revolution But It Could Still Easily Become One”
5 August 2024: “Bangladesh Has Descended Into The Throes Of A Full-Blown Color Revolution”