Why the poor response on amnesty offer?

Despite the earlier decision by Saudi authorities not to extend the deadline on amnesty beyond July 3, an extension now appears to be on the cards. We are happy to learn of this change in attitude. Perhaps the decision to do so revolves around the fact that only about half of the eight million workers took advantage of regularising their illegal stay in the Kingdom until June 25. The trouble with Bangladeshi workers, a good deal of whom have overstayed beyond their permissible periods since many now work for employers other than those who recruited them originally. Lack of valid documentation has automatically rendered them illegal.
It has become imperative that our mission in the Kingdom prioritise the need to reach out to the hundreds of thousands of illegal Bangladeshi workers. It must be impressed upon them by our officials that they should not fear coming forward to take advantage of the opportunity. For the alternative is either imprisonment or hefty fines. The extension of deadline could be anywhere between three and six months, depending primarily on success in negotiating with Saudi authorities. The time extension may only be considered effective if word can be reached out to the workers that the Bangladesh mission is there to help smoothen the transition process. Otherwise, there is a possibility that large numbers of illegal workers might take chances of dodging authorities and eke out a living for a fraction of the wage that a legal worker may earn.