A migrant rights activist has wished former Immigration Department chief Khairul Dzaimee Daud "all the best" at his new job as the Human Resources Ministry secretary-general.
The ministry - together with the Home Ministry - plays a key role in managing migrant workers while the Immigration Department's handling of migrants under Khairul’s watch had often been criticised by rights groups.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, Migrant Care representative Alex Ong said that among others, Malaysia's ranking on the US human trafficking watchlist had dropped to Tier 3 - the lowest ranking - during Khairul’s time at the department.
Malaysia's ranking was in Tier 3 of the trafficking watch list in 2021 and 2022, before climbing back up to Tier 2 last year.
The drop to Tier 3 was primarily due to forced labour issues.
Khairul (above) was the Immigration Department director-general from January 2019 to March 2023 when he was transferred to head the Prime Minister Department’s Legal Affairs Division.
Ong said one contributor to trafficking under Khairul’s watch was the Immigration Department's Maid Online System (MOS) - which the latter had inherited.
"It promoted human smuggling," Ong alleged.
Previously, the Indonesian embassy had criticised the MOS for allowing Indonesian women entering Malaysia on tourist visas to convert them to work permits, which led to "disappearances" often with detrimental results.
Ong said there were weaknesses in border migration control and management of points of entry to the country as well.
He also criticised the detention of children in immigration depots as a violation of the UN's Child Rights Convention.
Other criticisms levelled against the Immigration Department while Khairul was in charge include the inhumane mistreatment of undocumented migrants at detention centres as well as during raids conducted at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There were also the deaths of a Nigerian PhD student and an Indian tourist while under Immigration detention. Suhakam had criticised the detention as wrongful.
At present, migrant rights issues are back in the spotlight after Malaysiakini exposed a syndicate that has been manipulating the government's migrant worker quota system to reap profits.
The syndicate used fake documents to bring in hundreds upon hundreds of migrant workers for jobs that don't exist.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has taken a stern stance against such practices, including requiring companies that bring in migrants to pay them wages even if there is no work for them.
‘New role needs visionary holistic leadership’
Ong urged Khairul not to focus too much on migrant workers in his new job.
Instead, the Migrant Care representative said there should be a greater focus on transparency in bureaucracy, reforms, and addressing gaps in policies.
This is because the Human Resources Ministry had a more important role in supporting Malaysia’s human capital development.
"The new role requires a more visionary holistic leadership approach beyond the single lane of law enforcement.
"His first 100 days are crucial. Revamping and deep cleaning of the eroded system needs stamina and political will, not bureaucratic will," he said.
"I wish him all the best in resolving the unemployed youth and graduates to create employment value in the Malaysian job market and abroad," Ong added.
Khairul began his new role as Human Resources Ministry secretary-general on Monday. - Mkini
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