Security association eyes Bangladesh as second source country for guards

 

The Malaysian Security Industry Association (PIKM) has identified Bangladesh as a second source country for migrant security guards, following some 30,000 vacancies left by Nepali guards who are currently the only ones allowed to be employed here.

Malaysiakini understands PIKM had entered into an agreement with a local partner in Bangladesh - identified as Sena Kalyan Sangstha - pending approval from the Malaysian Home Ministry for them to work here.

Sources familiar with the matter said the signing ceremony was held yesterday at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, witnessed by the Bangladesh Ambassador to Malaysia Md Golam Sarwar.

When contacted, PIKM president Ramli Yusuff said Sena Kalyan Sangstha represented the welfare arm of the Bangladesh armed forces, tasked with identifying and training the future security guards for placement in Malaysia and other countries in need of their service.

"Yesterday, we renewed the terms of the agreement that we signed in 2018. The Home Ministry recently said it might consider bringing in guards from Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

"From PKIM we have recommended only Bangladesh because we first went there in 2018. At that time, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with them," said Ramli.

"When we (PIKM) went there to see their training school, we saw how they were trained for three months, we felt that they were the best option.

"The last MOU we signed had lapsed, so yesterday we renewed the terms to bring in the workers, pending approval from the government," he said.

Ramli also said PIKM has urged the government to expedite approvals as there has been a shortage due to departures since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

Empty quota

He said while the Nepali security guards are permitted to work here for up to 10 years, many of them had requested to return home and the shortage was made worse with the freeze on new intakes for all migrant workers.

"We used to have around 40,000 Nepali guards but are now down to between 10,000 and 15,000.

"So in order to fill up the empty quota, we want the government to bring in Bangladeshi guards," he said.

Ramli, however, declined comments when asked for a cost comparison between bringing in security guards from Nepal and Bangladesh, stating that it was a "subjective matter" which is still under negotiation.

He also insisted that locals are not keen to fill up the vacancies, much like in other "dirty, dangerous and difficult" sectors that are also reliant on migrant labour.

Human Resource Minister M Saravanan last week said Malaysia has objected to a request by Bangladesh for 2,000 of its recruitment agencies to be allowed to send workers here, in other sectors besides security.

He said bilateral discussions between Malaysia and Bangladesh to lift the freeze on recruitment have also concluded with a final decision expected to be made by the cabinet this month.  - Mkini