TDS Desk:

Expatriate Bangladeshis protested in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia demanding to keep MRP passport along with e-passport. They demanded that the e-passport should continue, as well as the MRP passport.

E-passport requires mandatory National Identity Card (NID). Many Bangladeshis residing in Malaysia do not have NID. So they objected to e-passport.

Meanwhile, instead of the Bangladesh High Commission Office in Malaysia, a company called Expat Services (Kuala Lumpur) SDN BHD (ESKL) has been given the responsibility of e-passport.

E-passports, issuance of visas to foreigners and travel passes have been transferred from the High Commission to ESKL. In this regard, the Labour Wing of the Malaysian High Commission Office and all the officers and passport officers of the Labour Wing opposed this agreement. Ignoring their opposition, Deputy High Commissioner Khorshed Alam Khastgir’s sole authority increased the General Travel Pass to 69 Ringgit where it was previously 44 Ringgit. By charging 25 ringgit more than before, billions of taka are going into ESKL’s pocket.

Some 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers are working in Malaysia. Among them, 1.2 million workers have MRP passports. There are only 3 lakh e-passport holders. Meanwhile, the work of e-passport has also been given to the private company ESKL. As a result, the people of the High Commission are sitting idle.

ESKL is trying to grab huge amount of money in the name of e-passport. Which is by no means desirable.

On the other hand, it is not possible to give e-passport in one month or two months if desired. As a result expatriate workers will suffer and remittance flow will decrease.

Demand of Bangladeshis working in Malaysia – Provision should be made to keep MRP passport open along with e-passport. If the MRP passport is kept active along with the e-passport, there will be no problem for the workers. There will be no visa complications either.

If only e-passport is kept open, many workers are likely to be unemployed. There will be complications related to visa. Otherwise, you have to move to the country.

When contacted, the Deputy High Commissioner of the Malaysian High Commission Office, Khorshed Alam Khastgir, said that if there is something new, it is opposing for the sake of opposing. They are opposing without understanding the good and the bad. E-passport is – digital passport; With this passport, everything comes to hand. It also takes less time. Which is not possible in any way through MRP passport.