A SENIOR Bangladesh diplomat who ‘stood by his people in difficult times’ has returned home with cherished memories after five years of service.
In an interview prior to his departure, Bangladesh labour consul Shaikh Tahidul Islam told the GDN that he had done his best for the community during his tenure, though a few heartaches remained.
He was happy that the number of Bangladeshi investors had increased over the last few years, while the crime rate involving the community dropped significantly.
The mission was also at the forefront of supporting its people during Covid-19, he said, adding that it had distributed more than 1,500 food packages to the needy.
“It’s a different feeling when we resolve issues that are important to people,” Mr Islam told the GDN.
“Yet, it is unfortunate that I was unable to assist some of our workers, approximately 1,000 people, who could not return to Bahrain during Covid-19 because their visas had expired and flights were suspended.
“Their sponsors were willing to take them back, however, they were unable to return. Many of them had left their cars and belongings here.”
The GDN reported that these men were among those who chose to leave Bahrain in 2020, with 70 per cent working for companies and the remaining 30pc holding flexi-permits.
Visas for Bangladeshi nationals have been suspended since Bahraini imam Shaikh Abduljalil Hmood was murdered by a Bangladeshi muezzin (prayer caller) on August 4, 2018. Diplomats, however, have stated that the ban is not ‘official’.
Mr Islam condemned the ghastly murder, however, adding that the mission had been requesting the Bahraini government to lift the visa clamp over the last year.
“There are Bahraini sponsors and Bangladeshi investors who come to the embassy regularly seeking workers, there is a labour shortage in the market, and there is a high demand for our workers,” he said.
“It is critical for both countries to address this demand, we need to open the visas, and we are requesting the government to do so on a small scale.
“We don’t have to open it to everyone, it could be done on a need-basis, for companies that express an interest.”
Mr Islam recalled that the most common issue he dealt with was pending and delayed salaries, which he said had decreased significantly over the last few years as a result of the Bahrain government streamlining the process.
“Before the pandemic, there were around 67,000 illegal workers, which was more than 30pc of our workforce, but in the last three years, the number had dropped to around 20,000,” he pointed out.
Only about 5,000 Bangladeshis left Bahrain during the pandemic, he said.
He also highlighted that drug-related crimes involving Bangladesh nationals at the airport had decreased as a result of Bahrain government’s effective measures.
Mr Islam, a 46-year-old lawyer with a Masters in development studies from London Southbank University, arrived in Bahrain in January 2017 and is now in Dhaka awaiting his next assignment. He is married to Noori Mahbooba Jaya, a diplomat also based in Dubai, and the couple has two children, Tanzeem Islam, 17, and Tausif Islam, 13.
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