Rafizi: Govt has no access to Bestinet's source code

 

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli has highlighted how the government had essentially been “locked out” of its own digital recruitment system of Bangladeshi migrant workers into Malaysia, created by Bestinet Sdn Bhd.

Following a Jan 23 Bloomberg exposé on the exploitation of Bangladeshi migrants, Rafizi recalled previous findings by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Auditor-General’s Department, which found that there was never a formal contract signed between the government and Bestinet, which collected RM100 from each worker for the service.

Describing the audit report as “very damning”, Rafizi criticised the government’s lack of transparency and urged the implementation of proper procedures in the digital recruitment system to prevent further exploitation of migrant workers.

"If it's a system, access to the system must only be for officers in the Human Resources Ministry, the Home Ministry, or the immigration. That's all.

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"Say that even if this Bestinet is a service provider that created the digital system, they cannot operate the system because only government officers have the right to process and approve," Rafizi said.

However, the former economy minister highlighted that the auditor-general’s report indicated that access was given to non-government operators.

“More importantly, it (the report) made it clear that they did not even give the source code to the government.

“Basically, the government was locked out of its own system. That's what it means, right?” he said in his latest episode of the “Yang Berhenti Menteri” podcast with Subang MP Wong Chen.

‘Syndicate fee’

The Bloomberg article centred around the plight of Bangladeshi migrants who had to borrow a hefty amount of money so they could pay an alleged "syndicate fee" to work in Malaysia.

While migrant workers worldwide are facing the same problem of having to borrow money to get work, the article noted that Bangladeshis had to pay more than double compared to others after Putrajaya adopted a system introduced by Bestinet, which was founded by Aminul Islam Abdul Nor, a Bangladeshi who has been naturalised as Malaysian.

Aminul Islam Abdul Nor

Following the news report, former MACC chief Latheefa Koya questioned the government’s commitment to fighting systemic corruption.

In his podcast, Rafizi also reminded that even prior to 2018, he and several other Pakatan Harapan MPs had frequently commented on the matter, describing it as an issue of “slavery" that is very damaging to the country.

“This is a form of oppression, and it becomes our responsibility. We must stop this.

"Morally, we know it is wrong. Legally, procedurally, and all that also. By now, there is enough evidence to show that this thing has to stop because the government has never signed a contract after all.

"There's no contractual obligation. The government can just kick it away like that," Rafizi added.

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PAC report

Previously, PAC had urged the Home Ministry to decide on whether it wants to continue utilising the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) provided by Bestinet.

Alongside the absence of formal contracts, PAC also found that in 2015, the cabinet agreed to put the FWCMS on trial mode, together with another system provided by another provider, called ePPAx.

ePPAx was built by Syarikat Ivy Matrix Sdn Bhd, which won a RM20 million Human Resources Ministry project through an open tender.

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PAC found both the FWCMS and ePPAx served the same purpose of “processing (migrant workers) from the application stage to the end of employment and return to their sending country”.

Despite ePPAx’s development, the Home Ministry decided to use FWCMS instead. In 2018, the government issued an approval letter to Bestinet to develop, supply, provide, and maintain FWCMS for six years from April 1, 2018, to May 31, 2024.

On Dec 22, 2021, the Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led administration agreed to use FWCMS exclusively, but no formal contract was drawn up. Hamzah Zainudin was the home minister at the time.

“This means that the government/Home Ministry has used the FWCMS system for approximately six years without a finalised contract, clearly violating the regulations set by the government," PAC said in a statement.

PAC also flagged other issues, including system vulnerabilities to hacking and potential fraud in migrant worker management.

Despite these issues, in June 2024, the cabinet agreed to extend Bestinet’s contract for another three years, but with improvements in governance. - Mkini