A roundtable discussion on Rising Unemployment in Youth and Impact of Illegal Foreigners organized by the Movement against Illegal Foreigners was held on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 10:30 am. It was held at the conference room of Bangladesh Shishu Kalyan Parishad under the chairmanship of Major Mujibul Haque (retd) and moderator of Barrister Major Retired M Sarwar Hossain.
Researcher and political analyst Lt. Col. Ferdous Aziz (Retd.) said, according to Article 29 of the Bangladesh Constitution, the right to get employment based on merit is considered as a fundamental right and according to Article 19, every citizen of Bangladesh has the constitutional right to get equal rights. In the last decade and a half, the problem of unemployment in Bangladesh has become extreme. According to various newspaper reports, the unemployment rate in Bangladesh is currently 12%, which is the highest ever. The problem of unemployment has become so extreme that citizens in this country are dying from the Bay of Bengal to the Mediterranean in search of employment. On the other hand, many illegal foreigners have illegally occupied workplaces in Bangladesh in the last decade and a half. According to newspaper reports, more than 10 lakh foreign workers and employees are currently engaged in various workplaces in Bangladesh. As a result, the citizens of this country are deprived of the right to get employment according to their merit.
Advocate Md. Mohsin Rashidsaid that individuals from India are working without work permits in important positions in various companies, starting from the flower business near Dhaka University. The people of this country have seen the naked face of Indian hegemony in the politics of Bangladesh. Law enforcement personnel knowing the issues are silent today for unknown reasons. In this situation of the country, the young society should be aware. Nepal, Maldives are great examples before us. The young society that believes in Bangladesh nationalism should expel illegal foreigners from their own country to establish their self-esteem to eliminate unemployment. Besides, there are many Chinese citizens who are working illegally in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh must be clean. In the interests of the people of the country, not only towards India but also to establish an accountable democratic system as per the constitution. Besides, a big country like India should also understand that if the people of Bangladesh and the young society are drowned in the curse of unemployment, if they decide the policy by maintaining good relations only for the sake of one party, the people of Bangladesh will also become more averse to India.
Major Mujibul Haque (retd) said, according to the report, illegal foreign workers working in Bangladesh have been taking money equivalent to more than 10.2 billion dollars from this country since 2017. For example, in 2020, remittances from Bangladesh reached 18.5 billion dollars, while illegal foreigners took 10.2 billion dollars. In other words, more than half of the hard-earned remittances of our Bangladeshi workers are going abroad, especially to India, through illegal foreign workers. Due to illegality, they are taking money through hundi without paying tax and VAT, as a result, on one hand, the economy of Bangladesh is becoming fragile, on the other hand, the country’s independence, sovereignty, human rights and national security are being threatened. For unknown reasons, the government is not taking steps to repatriate all illegal workers.
Barrister Major Retired M Sarwar Hossain, moderator of the round table discussion thanked everyone and said that illegal foreign workers come to Bangladesh and take our money without paying tax. The reason for this is the undemocratic system prevailing in the country. We remember the British Khedao movement. The British Kheda movement was also aimed at gaining independence from British India. It is imperative to protect the sovereignty of the country’s independence and to protect the people and national interests. In an attempt to uphold the fundamental rights of the people of Bangladesh and to compel and help the government, illegal foreign labor movement is the need of the hour in the interest of the country. He urged the patriotic citizens irrespective of party, creed, caste, religion and caste to participate in this movement for the sake of the people, for the sake of the national interest and to create employment according to the qualifications of the citizens of this country.
Mr. Abdur Rahim, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Mr. Nurul Huda Chowdhury Milu, Major Md. Imran (Retd.) were present in the round table discussion along with the students of Dhaka University and other private universities.
