Published: 04:19 AM, 28 November 2021

https://dailyasianage.com/news/276863/who-are-living-in-begum-para-and-second-home

Who are living in Begum Para and Second Home? M S Siddiqui

The main drivers of migration are always diverse and complex. The migration has categories such as economic migrants, "desperation migrants", "aspiration migrants", "environmental refugees" and others travel together irregularly including people inspired by adventurism or simple wanderlust, or those yearning for personal freedoms which their own societies are not ready to offer - in other words, a desire to shrug off social, cultural, religious, political or sexual constraints. The Mixed migration Monitoring Mechanism Initiative (4Mi), a research organization conducted study between May 2017 and March 2019, along 5 different migration routes out of West and East Africa. In the study, 19% (1,941) of 10,472 respondents cited a lack of social services or poor governance as a main driver. Of those, 74% along all 5 routes, and close to 90% of the respondents interviewed further specified that corruption in government, politics and police was the major factor.Bangladesh is one of the worse sufferer countries in the world due to brain drain and siphon of money by the migrant to western world. A section of migrants is shifting all their wealth to their new home counties. There is a perception that businesspersons are siphoning their money through over invoicing of the import. This idea generated from the report of global Financial Indignity Report (GFI) that Bangladesh lost a staggering $7.53 billion on an average between 2008 and 2017 to trade mis-invoicing during its foreign commerce with its 135 trading partners. This study uses common methodology with same indicator many countries and may not suitable for country specific conditions.

There is no basic research within the country know about money laundering methods followed by citizen of Bangladesh. A recent statement of Foreign Minister revealed that bureaucrats are highest number of buyers of properties in western countries. His observation based on the recent discovery of the information that bureaucrats are the major illegal transferee of money from Bangladesh to other countries to buy properties in Begum para and obtained migration. An area in Toronto is known as "Begum Para" mentioned in different media. Begums (wives) live with their children there and the husbands are staying the country to 'serve the nation'. Many Bangladeshis are also keeping their money abroad even without any return -- at zero interest -- though the interest rate on deposit is one of highest in the world. There are many reasons of migration to other countries. Europe competes globally to attract skilled workers, especially in such sectors as science, technology, engineering and healthcare. There is a global race for talent in the highly developed economies of Europe, North America and Australia and in emerging global economies such as the Gulf, Singapore and China, to attract the 'brightest and best'. Over recent decades, the international migration of the highly skilled has increased its share of total migration. For Europe as a whole, the share of highly skilled workers (those with graduate qualifications) increased from 15 per cent in 1991 to more than a quarter through the 2000s. This global competition also includes international students, the highly qualified workers of the future. The Universities in the westare competing to attract best students from developing counties and finally naturalized them in those countries. Apart from migration of talents, many unskilled workers are going for migration to work in those countries to make their fortune. There are some other legal and illegal methods of migration. They illegally go or enter with valid visa but remain to stay there and take opportunity of various migration program to obtain citizenship. These primary migrant is ventured by male and that, at some point, he can decide - or be permitted by the host state - to 'bring over' his wife and dependent children. These talents or unskilled workers obtain citizenship and take their other family members to their new home countries. Western world also have immigration program under skilled and business categories. Skilled persons are selected based on education, work experience etc. The business migration is another program to attract overseas investment mostly from developing countries. The second home program of Malaysia and some other countries offer citizenship or resident permit offered against immigration fees and investment in real estate and business. There are other push factor of immigration. Black money holders do not feel safe to keep money in own country as there will be questions when the money is invested, be it in property or business. Bangladesh is one of the corrupt counties and citizen of all professions laundered their black money to other countries for whitening and keep in a safe place. The western world is safe place to hide black money without any fear of punishment. Those countries are concerned of laundering money by their citizen but welcome illegal money of other countries to invest in their countries. The recent trend of migration from Bangladesh start with the sending children to Schools and Universities. They get the education, obtain citizenship and buy properties, even invest in the properties during study in the educational institutions. Such properties are bought mostly with ill-gotten money, which is being siphoned off by their parents from Bangladesh through unauthorised financial channels such as hundi to countries that openly offer fast immigration opportunities through investment.

The high cost of education and investment in properties is remarkable money laundering of their parents in collaboration of these children. Their parents join them after retirement from their profession. These are no research on such migration and money laundering of citizen of Bangladesh. A study on the link between corruption and the causes of migration and forced displacement shows how corruption impairs various components of human security, which in turn, drives outward migration. The study of 4Mi findings are reaffirmed by many literatures on the relationship between corruption and migration, which concludes that increased corruption correlates directly with an increase in the levels of migration from a country. Other researchers have identified that corruption increases emigration among workers at all education levels, and that countries where corruption is perceived to be widespread are largely countries of immigration. The 4Mi finding is that corruption is an important migration driver for African refugees and migrants is not surprising considering that Sub-Saharan Africa is the lowest scoring region in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual ranking of countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Furthermore, corruption has also been linked to violent conflict, which is a major cause of migration. Corruption creates tensions between groups and black holders don't feel safe in own country. Therefore, corruption and other governance failures are push factors for human migration. The migration and laundering of illegally earned money is co-related. Migration and purchase of properties and living of begums in other counties are very much linked to corruption and laundering of illegally earned money to other countries. Authority may look into migration and corruption with due diligence. M S Siddiqui is a legal economist