‘We will speak what is fair’ Shafiqur
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman has said he will oppose any proposed cyber law that seeks to restrict citizens from expressing legitimate opinions.
“If the law is made to silence the free voice of the people, I will not accept it,” Shafiqur said on Thursday while addressing a seminar at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
The seminar, titled “Syndicate and Malaysian Labour Market: Bangladesh’s Partnership,” was organised by Jamaat-e-Islami.
Shafiqur said laws intended to ensure digital security should not become instruments for suppressing freedom of expression.
He also said he would take steps to prevent the proposed legislation from being enacted if he believed it was designed to curb legitimate public speech.
“We will speak what is just and fair. Let the law do whatever it does; we do not care about that,” he said.
Speaking about Bangladesh’s labour migration to Malaysia, Shafiqur called for an end to what he described as the existing “syndicate” system and urged the government to ensure greater openness and transparency in the recruitment process.
He noted that Bangladesh had already experienced the Malaysian labour market being closed on three occasions and urged the government to take steps to prevent a recurrence.
According to Shafiqur, around 25 agencies have been selected as master agencies, with associate agencies operating under them.
He questioned the criteria used to select the agencies, particularly amid reports that some of them lacked previous experience in the sector.
He also raised questions over reports that Tk15 crore to Tk22 crore could be invested through the agencies and called on the government to clarify whether it had any involvement.
“The government itself must make it clear that it is not involved. It must also clarify the criteria on which these agencies were selected,” he said.
Shafiqur said Bangladeshi workers often spend between Tk5 lakh and Tk7 lakh to secure overseas employment, financing the cost through loans, borrowing money or selling land.
He stressed that the ability of workers to repay these debts from their overseas earnings should be given serious consideration.
Calling for stronger safeguards against exploitation, he urged the government to negotiate directly with Malaysia to protect the interests of Bangladeshi workers, citing similar engagement by Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Indonesia.
Shafiqur warned that attempts to maintain a system that allows workers to be exploited could create further problems for the government.
He also said the labour-market syndicate could eventually face a public movement demanding its removal.
Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Mujibur Rahman chaired the seminar, while ASM Shahriar Kabir presented the keynote paper. Senior leaders of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance also addressed the event.
