Former DAP lawmaker Charles Santiago has challenged Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani’s claim that Malaysia does not practise forced labour.
Accusing Putrajaya of failing to tackle forced labour issues despite repeated warnings from international bodies, the former Klang MP asserted that the government’s alleged inaction has made Malaysia an “easy target” for the United States’ proposed 10 percent tariff linked to forced labour concerns.
“For migrant workers, debt bondage - one of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) forced labour indicators - begins before a worker sets foot in the country, and passport confiscation and wage theft are widespread.
“Minister (Johari), you need better advisers, and you need them urgently,” Charles said in a series of X posts yesterday.
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) recently found that Malaysia is among 54 economies which failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
Pending a hearing on suggested action, the USTR proposed 10 percent duties related to forced labour on imports from several nations, including Malaysia and Indonesia.
It also proposed 12.5 percent additional duty for 45 other countries.
US no saint, but M’sia exposed itself
Responding to the matter, Johari yesterday insisted that Malaysia has laws protecting against forced labour, but issues raised by the US under Section 301 of its Trade Act extend beyond activities within the country.
The minister said that while Malaysia “does not have” forced labour, Section 301 also includes third countries where Malaysia buys raw materials or semi-finished products and processes them before exporting the finished products to the US.
Commenting on the matter, Charles said it should be noted that the US is “no saint” on labour rights, with the Western superpower ratifying only two of the 10 fundamental ILO conventions while supposedly still allowing “prison labour”.
“It is clear that Washington does this when it’s convenient. However, the biggest tragedy is that Malaysia has also made itself an easy target by allowing weak enforcement, unethical recruitment, debt bondage risks, and impunity to drag on.
“Every year of inaction was an invitation. So, the question is not whether the US is hypocritical. Of course, it is. (But) why has Malaysia left its workers so exposed that hypocrites can weaponise their suffering?” Charles questioned.
Deeming the matter a “clear example” of how governance failures have amounted to geopolitical consequences, Charles also asked for updates on Malaysia’s National Action Plan on Forced Labour, which seeks to curb forced labour in the country by 2030.
Stressing that reform is “not complicated”, Charles said it is just “politically uncomfortable” for those supposedly profiting from the status quo.
“Make bilateral labour agreements binding and transparent. Blacklist unethical recruiters. Protect whistleblowers. Eliminating forced labour should be part and parcel of any business plan we have in this country.
“We should not wait for a country with its own labour abuses to tell us workers matter. We have ratified conventions. We have the legal architecture. What we don’t have is the political will,” Charles added. - Mkini
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