Ramasamy-Saravanan debate over forced labour is on

 

A debate on forced labour between Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy and Human Resources Minister M Saravanan is on.

This follows verbal sparring between the two on the matter which led Ramasamy (above, right) to issue a challenge to the minister who then accepted.

"I am more than delighted to have an opportunity to explain and educate Ramasamy on the specific matter that he had raised on his social media platform, on my request to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and US authorities.

“As he had stated, I sincerely hope that this will not be a debate per se but more on the sharing of knowledge on the efforts of the Human Resources Ministry and myself as the minister in handling the issue,” Saravanan said on Facebook last night.

The minister hopes the debate will solely be focused on the issue raised in Ramasamy’s social media and will not deviate into non-related agendas.

"(I also) hope this is not just another DAP drama.

"I suggest that a reputable organisation becomes the moderator of this forum. An organisation which is bipartisan politically and is well versed in matters of labour," he added.

‘Saravanan lacks understanding’

Ramasamy responded by saying that he was looking forward to the debate.

"I am glad that Saravanan has accepted my challenge to debate him on forced labour in the country.

"Saravanan might be well-meaning in his pursuit of the campaign to eradicate the scourge of forced labour. But unfortunately, given his limited understanding of the phenomenon of forced labour with its varied manifestations, he thinks that it could be eradicated with the right mix of policy and enforcement.

"Saravanan might be the minister but he lacks the understanding of why forced labour continues to exist in Malaysia and other countries despite impressive economic and social developments," he said.

The challenge was issued after Ramasamy wrote yesterday that the Human Resources Ministry was "naive" for thinking forced labour can be eradicated by effective enforcement and employers changing their attitudes.

"Forced labour exists simply because of the nature and manner of production.

"If there is a tendency to use cheap labour for the production of unrefined goods, there is only minimal interest in the value of labour," he said.

He then took a swipe at Saravanan, claiming the minister was not serious in tackling forced labour by putting the burden of investigating such incidents on the ILO and the US Embassy in Malaysia.

This is after the minister asked the ILO and US Embassy to alert his ministry if they launched forced labour probes so that solutions can be found before sanctions are made.

‘Baseless’ statement

Saravanan, in a reply to Ramasamy yesterday, said the DAP leader should not make "baseless and thoughtless" statements on issues he did not understand.

Ramasamy then retaliated with the debate challenge.

"Since the subject matter of forced labour is a controversial one, I suggest that Saravanan be prepared to debate with me on this matter.

"This debate should not be seen as scoring points but as a forum for the dissemination of knowledge about the pervasive nature of forced labour in the country," he said.

The US has been cracking down on forced labour practices in Malaysia, issuing import bans on major palm oil and rubber manufacturers such as Sime Darby and Top Glove. - Mkini