Diplomatic Correspondent: Bangladesh High Commission Kuala Lumpur always strives to provide services to respected expatriate Bangladeshis. Taking into account the suggestions of expatriates or their complaints, the High Commission takes various measures to ensure government service. Harassment of expatriates, long queues, misbehavior with service aspirants is considered very seriously by the High Commission and preventive measures are also taken to reduce it. It has always been a big challenge, in other words, a herculean task, to provide multiple services to the approximately 15 lakh Bangladeshi diaspora with the existing manpower of the High Commission. One of these services is passport service. The High Commission has taken some important decisions in the last 3 years with the intention of eliminating the delays and irregularities in the passport services provided by the High Commission. Some of these activities have already been communicated to the esteemed expatriates. In the current context important decisions regarding re-passport services are being notified.
1. In response to long-standing demands of expatriates, the High Commission signed an agreement with outsourcing company ESKL on September 22, 2023, subject to administrative approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs and External Affairs, to launch e-passport services. This agreement was signed after proper discussion through several formal meetings in the presence of all concerned officials of the High Commission.
2. On April 18, 2024, the Secretary of the Security Services Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs officially inaugurated the e-passport service at the office building of the outsourcing organization at the Southgate Commercial Center in Kuala Lumpur. The e-passport service started that day.
3. Through the High Commission’s Stakeholder Analysis, it has been found that the process of filling the passport application forms leads to the involvement of brokers or middlemen. Therefore, to ensure broker-free passport service, an agreement was signed that the outsourcing company (ESKL) will complete all activities including filling the e-passport application form, depositing the passport fee, taking photos, taking biometrics, until the approval by the responsible officer. Special terms of the contract include sophisticated infrastructure, transparent recruitment process, IOT based remote monitoring, 30000 ringgit security deposit etc.
4. In exchange for receiving the services described in the contract (application form filling, passport fee bank deposit, photographing, biometrics, etc.), the service recipient has to pay a minimum service charge of 32 Ringgits in Malaysian currency or (US$7.34). It is to be noted here that in 2014, the Passport Department fixed a service charge of 78.48 ringgit or 18 US dollars to the contractor for each MRP issue regarding the outsourcing of MRP to Bangladeshis living in Malaysia.
5. As per the current agreement every transaction will be through Maybank. Outsourcing service charges and government fees are charged separately in favor of each passport. Each individual entry is digitally and manually monitored or verified. There is no opportunity for financial irregularities and corruption in this process, rather due to public-private partnership, it is possible to provide much-needed services to expatriates in a more advanced and transparent process.
6. The High Commission has constituted a task force comprising senior officials for proper implementation and monitoring of the agreement signed between the Expatriate Passport Service High Commission and the outsourcing company. The task force is taking action subject to the approval of the Honorable High Commissioner whenever it receives any complaint. As required, the Task Force members regularly visit ESKL’s facilities on site for these regular monitoring. But hopefully, there are not so many complaints in providing e-passport services.
7. POS Malaysia (Malaysia Post Office) has been tasked with accepting MRP passport applications under special measures to maintain uninterrupted government services during the pandemic Covid-19. Recently, the Task Force reviewed the MRP applications received through Pos Malaysia and clearly proved that a vested interest group is abusing the system by taking advantage of the simplicity of innocent expatriate Bangladeshis in the name of accepting MRP applications. The High Commission has decided to stop accepting application forms through Pos Malaysia from now on.
8. Furthermore, the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia is discouraging expatriates from applying for Machine Readable Passport (MRP) passports and instead encouraging e-passports in view of the Ministry of Home Affairs Security Services Division directive issued on August 15, 2024. According to this directive of the ministry, the activities of MRP should be limited as much as possible in the countries where the e-passport program has been launched. In this case, the applicants who have the necessary documents for e-passport should be provided with e-passport. And only those who do not have the necessary documents and in urgent need will be issued a MRP passport by the High Commission.
9. In view of the above situation, the High Commission has decided that henceforth, MRP applications will be accepted through outsourcing company ESKL, where RM for each application processing (filling of application form, collection of government fees, attachment of necessary documents etc.) 20 (twenty) service charges have been fixed. ESKL Company at its own office in Kuala Lumpur (E-2-2 Block E Southgate Commercial Center Jalan Dua, Off, Jalan Chan Sow-lin, 55200 Kuala Lumpur), High Commission in other cities (eg Jahur Bahru, Penang, Malacca, Port Klang etc.) The High Commission has decided to accept MRP and e-passport applications jointly with ESKL’s mobile consular team.
10. There is no opportunity for brokers or middlemen to interfere in the complete process of obtaining passports including filling the passport application form, depositing money in the bank. ‘First come first served’ will be the only process for obtaining passports. So that the service seekers do not have to stand in the queue for a long time, the outsourcing company is providing services in a vast infrastructure through 45 counters. In addition, advice is being given through the 12-hour call center. whose hotline number is +60392120267.
The High Commission seeks the cooperation of all concerned.
