FROM PENAG (MALAYSIA): Jahnagir Hossain hailed from Salanga of Sirajganj district has been in Malaysia from July of 1997.
He is very much a known figure in Penang city for his Nasif restaurant of popular Malaysian dish ‘Nasi Kandar’.
One day while in a bus journey from Batu Firingi I asked one Bangladeshi passenger that I will go to Jahangir’s shop at Tesco.
Instantly that passenger gave a short speech on the shop and about Jahangir.
Jahangir does not have only that restaurant but also owns a duck farm of 35 thousand ducks. Most of the employees working at the restaurants of Penang are appointed by Jahangir.
On Thursday past I had a discussion with Jahangir at Tesco food court. He informed banglanews that in near future he will set up branches of Nasi Kandar in Australia.
It already has branches at Bukit Jambul and Patis park in Penang.
He will set up more seven branches of Nasi Kandar at different places in Malaysia by next year. Only the Bangladeshis will be working in these restaurants.
For successes in business in Malaysia he gave priority to hard work. There are lots of avenues to waste money but one must keep himself away from these wasting practices.
One must keep in mind that we have come here to earn money not to misuse the earning by extravagant expenditure.
Jahangir told about the images of the Bangladeshis in Malaysia.
He said that the Bangladeshis are the enemy of their own countrymen. Those who do not work, they commit much damages to their own people.
How the foreigners will evaluate us if we do not work for our prosperity. We are to establish ourselves by our competency and earning money.
He informed that my Malayan employees jokingly call Bangladeshis as ‘Bangla’ but the same people are giving me honor by addressing me as ‘boss’.
So, we are to change our lot ourselves.
During discussion this successful expatriate man also suggested that I always encourage the small Bangladeshi community to go ahead for becoming more prosperous.
He informed that there are a lot of means for earning in Malaysia. For example, if any body simply sells drinking water by the road side he can earn 50 Ringits daily which is equivalent to Bangladeshi Taka 1,250.
However, one must be dynamic and ambitious to become big and self-reliant.
Jahangir has become Malaysian citizen after marrying a local girl in 2005. Regarding the coupling with local girls he said that there are both good and bad among them.
Indonesian girls mostly prefer Bangladeshis. Many have lost everything being trapped by the Indonesian girls.
Regarding marrying foreign girls one must take the decision after much thinking.
Jahangir is proud of the quality of the food of his own restaurant.
I am always careful about the food quality. One who comes to Penang he must visit here again and again.
Even, the Bangladeshi tourists come here at least once if he comes to Penang.
He has made a good number of people self-dependent of his own birthplace Dhubli village. He has arranged employment for at least one hundred people at different restaurants even in five star hotels.
Many are doing good businesses. Here at 60 residential hotels there are employees appointed through me.
Jahangir informed that in his native home, only his mother lives because he has brought his own brothers, nephews and other close relatives numbering about 20 who are here doing jobs and business.
Regarding his own life in Malaysia, Jahangir told that I do work hard. My employees enjoy leaves but I do not. As I do work hard similarly I also want that others also do.
Jahangir has a desire to create a separate workplace for his countrymen at his native village.
In Bhuiyan Gazi he wants to set up a gas pump and a garments factory there for creating job opportunities for his native countrymen.
He informed that there are about from 3.50 lakhs to 4 lakhs Bangalis in Penang who are mostly engaged in construction works.
He asserted that these Bangladeshi workers must establish themselves in such a way so that the sons of laborers do not become laborers.
BDST: 1915 HRS, OCT 4, 2014
