Weak Passport Belies Success III

Green passport earns a bad name As Bangladeshis get the blame In Canada for soaring house price. Henley index lays bare the development lies.

Henley strong passport index has downgraded Bangladesh by one notch from its January ranking. In the latest passport index,Bangldesh is ranked 104th,behind Sri Lanka¹. Soon after the latest index, South Africa has made changes in visa regulations applicable for Bangladeshis and Pakistanis after some nationals of the two countries without visa had been detained by South African authority for entering Lesotho,Swaziland using South African airports. From August 1,Bangladeshis and Pakistanis require transit Visas to enter these countries, which give Bangladeshis Visa free entry². In April, Bangladeshi passport occupied 103 rd position among 116 countries for 2021 in Henley Strong Passport Index [This piece is just an extension to the piece I wrote April 09 this year]. In 2020, it held the same position. Despite the improvement from 108 to 103 in recent years, Bangladeshi passport remains one of the weakest passport (9th) in the world³. Meanwhile, corona, internal turbulence and war made many counties' score bad. So the improvement is not an improvement at all. In the meantime, US imposed sanctions on RAB and several security establishment officials for deterioration in law and order situation.[In April] Canada postponed its second home program, nationality through purchase of house, for two years as property prices soar up unprecedentedly because of foreign nationals' house buying spree in that country⁴.

Back in October last year I penned “Weak Passport Belies Success “ to highlight Henley’s then ranking of Bangladesh⁵. Sharing it again:

The weakening of our passport has been going on for the last seven years. In 2013,our passport was ranked at 85 in Henley Passport Index(HPI). In 2017,the green passport was slides down by 10 places. In 2019,its rank worsened further to 99.In 2020, it was ranked 101st. Perhaps not all the countries are buying our success stories⁸.

Recently, European Union published a list of asylum seekers in EU where they entered illegally by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Bangladesh ranked second in the list.

This week Lafarge Holcim cement announced that it would sell its operations in Bangladesh.⁶

E-commerce debacle left a serious blot on reputation of the government. One after another e-commerce platform that follows multilevel marketing model failed to meet customers’ need and many simply swindled money. What could have been the success story of govt's digital economy turned out to be an embarrassing point for the government.

It has been reported that government might have avoided this incident had it been stricter to malpractices.

Meanwhile, remittances shows a downward spiral following a remarkable growth last year.

In September 2021-22,Bangladesh received remittances worth $1726.29 million whereas the sum was $2171.03 million in May this year⁷However, rising oil price could break the downward spiral as construction boom may resume in the Middle Eastern countries, riding on the high oil price.

Back in April this year,I wrote a piece titled “Falling Ranking,Fading Identity” in the wake of unrevised HPI. I would like to share some part of it again:

“Education is the area where we fall behind our neighbors. In Global Knowledge Index, Bangladesh held the lowest rank in South Asia. Its position was 112th among 138 countries.Even Pakistan and Nepal were placed ahead of us (Source: Daily Star, December 12 , 2020).

In Innovation Index, Bangladesh was far behind than its South Asian neighbors. Among the 131 economies, Bangladesh occupied 116th position. It perched on that position for three consecutive years (Source: The Financial Express, September 14, 2020).

In recent years, school drop out rate, number of child marriage have also increased. I cannot figure out how we can continue our achievements in economic and development sectors with such a sorry state in education and innovation.

What complicated the matter is the presence of three different streams of education. A greater section of the population are not at the same wavelength while reading a particular event or situation and are not behaving in the right way at a crucial occasion or circumstances.

Our 14 years of schooling is not as good as others. It is casting a shadow over our overseas development markets. In middle eastern countries where our nationals mostly took up the jobs of housemaid, drivers, agricultural workers etc , Bangladeshis find themselves in awkward situation for failing to communicate in a proper manner. It is affecting their livelihoods there. Many even fall victims to deception and cheating. In Kuwait a Bangladeshi MP in connivance with Kuwaiti officials ran a human trafficking network. Thousands of Bangladeshis were lured into their traps, losing millions of Taka and risking their lives. The issue remains a sore point in the relationship between two countries and engenders overseas employment of Bangladesh in Kuwait.

Reuters last year carried a report divulging dilapidated conditions of stranded Bangladeshis , victims of human trafficking, in Bosnian jungles.

Like those cheated Bangladeshis abroad, state of our health sector does not vouch safe for our economic success story. COVID-19 laid bare the anarchy going on in this sector. Fake screening program ran by some politically-blessed quarter alarmed us about quality of our health professionals. Poorly equipped hospitals and dearth of health professionals brought us foreign grant and support in thick and fast. To our dismay, we watched that oxygen system and 300 ventilators bought with foreign credit were locked in warehouses of Dhaka International Airport for ten months. They are meant to equip the public hospitals. Meanwhile, deteriorating condition at home led to ban flights towards countries from where most of our remittances come.

With great enthusiasm and effort, Bangladesh implements infrastructure and development projects, very few turn out to be beneficial in the end. However, same vigor and enthusiasm are not displayed while creating social institutions that aim to develop human resources at the grassroot level. Tribal nature of our politics , tendency to set a yeoman at every organization are widely seen as encumbrance to developing such institution. For the last three decades, a moribund growth has been being observed on institutions that work on youth, discrimination, literacy,digital divide, communal harmony,folklore,hygiene,rural-urban migration, inclusion of new technology, charity, music and culture. These institutions in the past played key roles in churning out quality nationals. It does not mean they have to depend on foreign fund for their operations. Community, individual and government should step in so that they can function without any trouble. COVID-19 bluntly laid it bare that our health system is not working and one fine morning we will discover, to our surprise, that our country becomes an unlivable prison. And HPI and QNI may coshare positions with other doomed countries.”⁸

Notes And References:

1. “Dokshin Africae Notun Niyam: Transit Visa Lagbe Bangladeshider(Change In Regulations In South Africa: Bangladeshis Require Transit Visa)”, Jamuna News,July 22,2022. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_WHOp6u25E0
2. “Bangladeshi Passport Again 9th Weakest In World”, Dhaka Tribune, July 20,2022. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/07/20/bangladesh-passport-again-ninth-weakest-in-world
3. “Bangladesh Ranks 103rd In Henley Passport Index2022”, Dhaka Tribune,April 04,2022. For more read at https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/01/12/bangladesh-ranks-103rd-in-henley-passport-index-2022
4. “Videshider Kacchey Bari Bikri Bondho Korechhey Justin Trudeau'r Saraker(Canada: Trudeau Govt Halts Sale Of House To Foreigners”,BBC Bangla,April 07,2022. For more read at https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-61028973
5. “Weak Passport Belies Success”,Rezaul Hoque,https://hoquestake.blogspot.com,October 09,2021. For more read at https://hoquestake.blogspot.com/2021/10/weak-passport-belies-success.html?m=1
6. “Bangladesh Theke Babsha Gutiye Nichhey Lafarge HolCim(Lafarge Winds Down Bangladesh Operations)”,Sylhet Today 24,October 06,2021.For more read at https://www.sylhettoday24.news/news/details/Sylhet/125786?fbclid=IwAR07pXwOgCNECDjcN9NLpKVipVlTk52NR6VUGwNlqmHyz6aVWlFr89rzGhk
7. Bangladesh Bank.
8. “Falling Ranking,Fading Identity “,Rezaul Hoque,https://hoquestake.blogspot.com.April 19,2021.For more read at https://hoquestake.blogspot.com/2021/04/falling-ranking-fading-identity.html?m=1

La Semaine Dernière A Mes Yeux

(09 juillet --- 16 juillet)

Protect Bangladeshi Interest In South Africa

Riots in Natal ruin Bangladeshis.
Toil, money, dream are reduced in ashes.
Migrants do everything in times of need,
Standing by them is great nation's deed.

The tumultuous situation in South Africa has resulted in deployment of 25000 troops across the country. Mayhem caused by rioters also affected thousands of Bangladeshis living there. Lawlessness consumed 72 lives so far and caused 208 riots on Wednesday alone. ¹Compared to other countries, Bangladeshis in South Africa are better positioned and own groceries and super shops. However, a good number of them do not have valid papers. And those do business legally face regular bout of looting and violence. Prior to this round of violence, around 450 Bangladeshis fell victim of gun violence in South Africa in the last four years.²Having heard growing concerns from home, government finally raised the matter to South African officials in bilateral talks.

The latest riot ruined scores of Bangladeshi shop owners. Their shops were looted and then set on fire. A BBC report claims 400 Bangladeshi shops and groceries in KwaZulu-Natal were looted and on average affected Bangladeshi shop sustained loss of 300,000 Rand and 1 million Rand.³So little progress has been made in securing Bangladeshi interest in South African soil since the last bilateral talk.

I wrote a piece about little response from govt towards migrant workers in the wake of workers' ordeal in Malaysia during the last pandemic.⁴Some of the points I made there still relevant here. Any dignified nation should raise its voice if any unjust act is purported on its interest or its citizens. Many smaller nations did this and did not jeopardize bilateral ties. In the past we saw bodies of migrant Bangladeshi workers were found in jungles straddling along the Thai-Malaysian border.In Vanuatu, hundreds of Bangladeshis stranded in prisons falling into the lure of human traffickers. A Kuwaiti court sentenced high officials of Kuwait and a Bangladeshi law-maker for amassing huge wealth through human trafficking. More recently, Tunisian coast guards rescued 443 Bangladeshis from the Mediterranean sea between May 18 and June 10 of this year. They tried to reach Italy illegally by taking a perilous boat ride. Every week there is news of drowning of illegal immigrants who make this kind of desperate journeys from Libya. Poor Bangladeshi working souls perish abroad. But no steps are seen on the part of government to dig deep about these murky affairs. Some visible actions are taken if the tragedies merit to make international news item.

We have to remember that migrant workers' contributions help the country giving a firm footing by swelling the ForEx reserve. They send their money and savings whenever the country is in crisis. Last year, they sent $21.75 billion back home when COVID-19 severely slashed export earnings. Many sent their savings back home after losing their jobs in other countries. They could have been migrated to some other countries by transferring their savings to that new country. When they fall in crisis , government seldom stand by them. Till to date, no Bangladeshi govt official came to their rescue. News report indicates local Bangladeshis are providing them temporary shelter.

Bangladesh government should bring these incidents to the attention of South African officials. Bangladesh should make sure these shop owners who are literally on the brink of destitution get the compensation to resume their business activities and the culprits are brought to book without further delay.

Great and dignified nations never let the rights and honor of their fellow citizens ruin on foreign shores. No country scales up on the grievances of its workers and ignoring the rights of its citizens. Bangladesh should stand by its citizens deeply affected in the ongoing riots. Friendship and standing for just cause can go hand in hand. History is replete with plenty of examples.

---------------------------------------------------------------------Notes and References:

1. "Dokkhin Africaei 25000 Sena Mathe(25000 Soldiers Deployed in South Africa)", Daily Prothom Alo, July 16,2021.
2. "Dokkhin Africaei Char Bochhore 452 Bangladeshi Nihoto, Ki Karone Ghotchhe Eshob?(452 Bangladeshis Gunned Down in 4 Years in South Africa --- What are The Reasons?", Syeda Akhter,BBC Bangla, December 20, 2020. Link Here
3. "Dokkhin Africaei Danga: Byapok Khoikhoti Hoechhe Bohu Bangladeshir(Riot in South Africa: Many Bangladeshis Sustain Huge Loss)",Naguib Bahar, BBC Bangla, July 15, 2021. Link Here
4. " Help The Soul In Distress", Rezaul Hoque, https://hoquestake.blogspot.com.Link Here

La Semaine Dernière A Mes Yeux

(19 avril --- 26 avril)

Selon un reportage, une explosion mystérieuse dans un logement d'ouvrier de la confection a laissé 3 ouvriers morts à Rupganj, Narayanganj. Une fuite de gaz a provoqué l'explosion.

Selon un reportage, Police a arrêté un dirigeant du parti pour avoir joué un rôle dans la tuerie de Nusrat. Quand la mère de Nusrat est allé au parquet de Feni pour déposer plainte contre le dirigeant de séminaire religieux, le magistrat l'a découragée et l'a mise en garde des conséquences inattendues.

Selon un reportage, un youtubeur bangladais qui habite en Autriche a été accusé d'avoir diffamé la religion. Dans sa chaîne de Youtube, il a mis le feu dans les feuilles d'un livre d'Urdu en signe de protestation contre la tuerie de Nuseat. Des gens l'ont trompé. Des Bangladais ont porté plainte contre lui à Bangladesh Cyber Crime Tribunal. Dans Facebook, une nouvelle est devenue virale que la police autrichienne l'a arrêté .

Selon un reportage,à Brahmanbaria, un dirigeant du parti en exercice a été accusé d'avoir coupé les jambes d'une personne et tranché veines de jambes de son fils.

Selon un reportage, les attentats au Sri Lanka , tué 321 personnes et blessé environ 500, ont aussi ciblé Bangladesh. Un enfant a été tué et son père a été sévèrement blessé. Ils sont petit-fils et beau-fils d'un dirigeant supérieur du parti en exercice et proches de Premier ministre de Bangladesh.

Selon un reportage, un tisserand de Benarasi Sari a péri trois ans de vie dans la prison. Police a falsifié son identité et l'a accusé d'être un baron de drogue. Le baron de drogue réel habite à Mohammadpur et le victime habite à Mirpur-11. Néanmoins, le baron de drogue et son frère dans une interview accordée à une chaîne privée se sont dits que le tisserand était innocent.

Selon un reportage , ancien président et chef d'un parti a peur que des gens escroquent une signature à lui et s'emparent de ses propriétés. A ce propos, il a déposé plainte dans une gendarmerie.

Selon un reportage, deux propriétaires bangladais de magasin en Afrique du Sud ont été tués par balles par des gens inconnus. Récemment, de plus en plus de Bangladais y ont été ciblés.

Selon un reportage, une camionnette a percuté une moto de service véhicule-partage Uber en tuant une étudiante de BRAC University. Police a arrêté le conducteur de camionnette.