–Mahfuzur Rahman–

The number of expatriate Bangladeshi workers living and working abroad may have exceeded one crore. They are sending remittances of more or less USD 25 billion annually. So, our expatriate workers are a goldmine for any government in Bangladesh. Many times, we hear that the government is taking a series of measures to facilitate remittances, to encourage workers to remit home, to give them incentives in the form of cash, to recognise and honour the highest remitters. The government tries to make life easier for these workers while going abroad or returning. However, the fact remains that migrant workers are still a highly vulnerable group both at home and abroad.

The vulnerability of these groups became more visible when the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced 57 Bangladeshi workers to different jail terms, and ordered deportation of them after completion of the jail terms. Here in Bangladesh, things were tensed otherwise due to the student movement and the following anti-government activities. Therefore, nobody paid much attention to what is happening in UAE.

These 57 Bangladeshis were involved in carrying out procession in different streets in Dubai, Azman and other cities of UAE in support of the recent Student Movement in Bangladesh. Some of them also shared the video clip of the protests at their TikTok account or at X handle. The court awarded life sentence to three, and the rest with ten years of imprisonment. I can assume that the three who received life imprisonment might have organized the procession, and the rest were participants.

Procession of this sort is a punishable offence under the local laws. Additionally, sharing a video clip of it is also an offence because, among others, it creates documentary evidence that such incidents are happening in UAE. The West considers many laws and practices in the UAE as very harsh on the residents. They criticise the entire Arab countries for abusing human rights and for suppressing people. However, I cannot exactly use the words that the Western countries use mindlessly. There is definitely a difference of culture between the Arab countries and the West. Therefore, I cannot use the same yardstick to judge a situation in the Arab countries. I think we need to see a thing in its own perspective, in its own context. And if that is so, it is simple that the expatriate workers, or for that matter the temporary residents, and the tourists as well, should abide by the local norms wherever they are.

This is more pertinent for our workers because they went to the UAE as an employee, and they have an obligation to abide by the local rules and regulations. When one is under a contract, it is best for him or her to show his or her adherence to that contract.

Question may arise, why the workers are not allowed to even express their solidarity with their kin back at home. Maybe many of the student activists were their sons and daughters. Above all, the procession was peaceful, and the procession had no intention of disrupting public life in the UAE. Moreover, they did not have any grudge against the UAE government or its institutions.

As bad as it may sound, in Bangladesh we are nurturing a culture of lawlessness rather than going by the rules. We have lost respect for rules and norms. We often cross the lines of rules and decency, many a time even without reasons. Our respect for others has gone. As a result, we are surprised and dismayed when someone strictly enforces the rules. Well, it is definitely necessary to correct our mentality. We need to look at the rule of law as our saviour. As much as inside the country, even more at outside the country because, at abroad, each of us is the representative of our country. Foreigners judge the entire Bangladesh by my deeds and actions.

Is it the case that expatriate Bangladeshis cannot express their frustration, protest or joy about anything happening in Bangladesh? Of course, they can. But it should be within the framework of local regulations. Such marches, demonstrations or sit-ins are not punishable offenses in Western countries. So, there is no legal complication to organise such an event. The memorandum can be given at the embassy. Expats handing over memoranda to their embassy is considered a big deal in the West. That in itself is a big protest. This is not imaginable in Arab countries, or even in most Asian countries. Local laws do not permit such activities. Expatriate workers can do their homework on the matter and consult with local law enforcement bodies first, if necessary. Otherwise, expatriates can regularly write and send protest statements to Bangladeshi newspapers and TV channels. In all cases they have editorial value even if they are not published.

What can our government do now? Our embassies and consulates have already urged expatriates to follow local rules and regulations. I think the government will say the same. After all, these expatriates were criticising the government. But the government has to rise above party-interest in many cases. The government needs to be a prodigious institution. As these 57 are Bangladeshi nationals, the government can discuss with the UAE government whether they can get amnesty or commute their sentences perhaps against any form of undertaking. It can be discussed whether the prisoners, if they want, can spend the sentence in the jail in Bangladesh. Before that, the government of Bangladesh may condemn the incident, and expressed its regret to the UAE. We need to be pragmatic. Eight lakhs of our workers are working in the UAE. If the UAE government imposes a visa ban on Bangladeshis out of anger or caution, it will cause long-term damage to the country.

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The writer is a former Ambassador