Gov't must answer for RM2.5b of migrant workers' money: Tenaganita

Ahead of the Dec 31 deadline for the Back For Good amnesty exercise, Tenaganita today said the government must be accountable for an estimated RM2.5 billion collected from undocumented migrant workers through its previous rehiring programme.

Tenaganita director Joseph Paul Maliamauv (above, second right) said in total there were approximately 700,000 undocumented migrants who had paid an average of RM5,000 each to three companies appointed by the government to carry out the rehiring programme from 2016 to 2018.

He said, however, less than 200,000 of them had received their work permits and the RM2.5 billion figure represented collections from around 500,000 others who failed to be legalised despite having made their necessary payments.

"Now, of course, the government would say we appointed some agents... but these are government-appointed agents.

"They collected the money on behalf of the government. So you (the government) have no excuse," he stressed.

"It is the government's responsibility.

"People have paid the money but they have not received their work permits," he said during a press conference at Tenaganita's office in Petaling Jaya this morning in conjunction with the annual International Migrants Day.

Joseph said many of those who failed to be legalised continue to remain in the country as undocumented migrants and were often subjected to further exploitations through no fault of their own.

"They were hounded, arrested, detained, put into those 'hellholes' which are euphemistically called detention camps.

"And then they are deported and blacklisted," he said.

"What happened to the money that they (migrants) have paid?

"This money is floating around, in the coffers of I don't know who," he said.

Joseph said the government must be accountable for the money paid by migrant workers, as it continues to collect more money through the RM700 compound imposed on all undocumented migrants who registered for the ongoing Back For Good amnesty exercise.

"So when you talk about the Back For Good, it is not always good," he said, adding that the targeted number of undocumented migrants to be registered remains low compared to their actual estimated numbers here.

Immigration director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud on Saturday reportedly said that a total of 138,901 undocumented migrants have so far returned to their countries of origin voluntarily through the programme as of Dec 12. - Mkini