Bangladesh’s National Citizen Party (NCP) has welcomed the prospect of Malaysia reopening its labour market to Bangladeshi workers after more than two years, while raising concerns over a list of 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies. In a statement issued on Saturday and sent by party office cell member Sadia Farzana Dinar, NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan said the market must not become a monopoly for a limited number of agencies.

Bhuiyan said Malaysia’s foreign worker recruitment platform FWCMS had published the list, but the selection process, criteria and basis remained unclear. He said the Bangladesh government had previously sent Malaysia a list of 423 recruiting agencies that met stipulated conditions, and called for clarification on why only 25 were selected.

The NCP cited past allegations of syndicate-driven irregularities and excessive charges, including claims that workers paid up to Tk550,000 against a government-set cost of Tk79,000. It called for transparent, competitive and accountable recruitment, investigation of past allegations, legal action where warranted, and priority resolution for workers unable to travel in 2024 despite completing procedures. The party also urged public disclosure of recruitment terms agreed through the Bangladesh-Malaysia Joint Working Group.