IPOH: The government has pledged to overhaul the existing system for the import of foreign workers to eradicate monopolies by companies, which are raking in massive profits at the expense of burdening potential workers.
Human Resources Minister, M Kulasegaran, said the ministry is aware of problems in the system governing the intake of foreign workers, especially those involving middlemen.
The severity of the problem, he noted, has led to the Nepal government suspending the outflow of workers into Malaysia. This, said Kulasegaran, can have a negative impact on Malaysia.
“It is disappointing to note that Nepal has barred its workers from coming to Malaysia. We are actually in the process of drafting a policy on how to manage the intake of foreign workers from the source countries.
“Apart from Nepal, this also involves Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and others, who are finding it increasingly difficult to send their people to work in Malaysia,” he said.
He was speaking to the media after officiating the National Workers Occupational Safety and Health Week 2018 at
Malay-Sino Chemical Industries Sdn Bhd, here on Saturday.
Kulasegaran said, the ministry has already held discussions with its Nepali counterparts two weeks ago, with the last meeting held on Tuesday.
“I have also met with the Nepali High Commissioner to Malaysia, and we are in the process of establishing a new Memorandum of Understanding.
“A working paper on this is also being prepared for Cabinet tabling next week in order to obtain the necessary approvals. Following that, either I will go to Nepal, or a Nepali minister will visit Malaysia so we can resolve this matter as soon as possible,” he said.
The minister also urged the Nepali government not to ‘go overboard’ on the issue, and hoped that it would reconsider its directive concerning the suspension of its workers to Malaysia.
“I will attempt to communicate with the Nepali High Commissioner here on Monday to further discuss the issue. As we are aware, many industries in Malaysia are reliant on foreign labour, but there are problems with the intake process, which benefits third parties.
“As an example, the visa processing fee for Nepali workers is only around USD$20 (RM80), but it is understood that thousands of ringgit are charged for other costs such as medical checks and others, which are managed by some companies or individuals, which was approved by the previous government,” he said.
He said the government is studying the matter and is looking for other mechanisms to simplify the intake of foreign workers. This, said Kulasegaran, includes the possibility of reverting to the old ‘government-to-government’ system, without the need for a third party.
“The middleman system is by rights unnecessary. There is no reason as to why we cannot bring in these workers by dealing directly with the country’s government. By eliminating the middleman, we are also eliminating the opportunity for corruption,” he said.