Dhaka: Malaysia has assured Bangladesh that its suspension of foreign workers hiring will not affect the deal it signed with Bangladesh on Thursday in Dhaka.

Malaysia on Friday suspended recruitment of foreign workers from all source countries, including Bangladesh.

Kuala Lumpur’s suspension of foreign worker intakes does not invalidate the memorandum of understanding that Malaysia signed with Bangladesh, Malaysian online newspaper Malay Mail Online quoted the Malaysian Human Resources Ministry as saying.

It said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot welcomed Friday’s announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the moratorium, saying he appreciated the government’ s prioritisation of local workers.

‘However, this announcement does not affect the validity of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the government of Bangladesh. Further details on the decision to freeze foreign workers recruitment are to be announced by the government,’ Riot said in a statement.

Zahid’s announcement on Friday on the hiring freeze of all foreign workers came just a day after Putrajaya signed a memorandum of understanding with Dhaka on Thursday, which gives Bangladesh a “source country” status of Malaysia

The moratorium had further complicated the issue as it was initially reported by the Bangladesh government officials that Malaysia will bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers.

Riot then clarified that the figure referred to Bangladesh’s overall labour pool for 139 countries, not the planned intake for Malaysia specifically.

Reports of the planned 1.5 million-strong Bangladeshi labourer intake had sparked intolerant responses from some Malaysians, including some local NGOs that claimed the entry of such foreign workers would lead to rape, terrorism and the spread of diseases.  Meanwhile, the Malaysian government has not yet officially informed anything to the Bangladesh government about their recent suspension of foreign workers recruitment.

Acting secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Begum Shamsun Nahar said this while talking UNB on Saturday.

‘As we haven’t been informed anything yet by the Malaysian government about workers’ recruitment suspension the next procedure to materialise the MoU will continue,’ she said.