PARLIAMENT | Issues surrounding the recruitment of migrant workers sparked a heated debate in the Dewan Rakyat today between Human Resources Minister M Saravanan and his predecessor M Kulasegaran.
Kulasegaran (Pakatan Harapan-Ipoh Barat) accused the government of being out of touch with business owners who are facing a critical shortage of workers.
“Even though the minister has said approvals (for foreign workers) were made but the reality on the ground is different.
“The MBAM (Master Builders Association Malaysia), oil palm industry, coffee shops, all have complained about the lack of workers,” Kulasegaran said.
This prompted a lengthy denial from Saravanan (BN-Tapah).
Saravanan also turned the tables on Kulasegaran and the then Pakatan Harapan federal government’s move to impose a moratorium on recruitments from Bangladesh, several months after it took over Putrajaya in 2018.
“I actually wanted to respond professionally, which is why I did not highlight defects of the opposition, specifically Ipoh Barat (Kulasegaran).
“But because they are trying to twist the facts... when we talk about migrant workers in our country, the whole world knows the majority come from Bangladesh and Indonesia.
“When Ipoh Barat became minister, he announced a moratorium on Bangladesh workers on Sept 1, 2018.
“Therefore, from that date up until he lost power, there have been no new arrivals from Bangladesh,” said Saravanan to protests from Kulasegaran.
The minister said this was contrary to his own time as minister when he was in charge of negotiating new agreements to reopen the labour market with Bangladesh and Indonesia, while faced with border closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Using issue for political gain
Kulasegaran earlier dismissed Saravanan’s response as an attempt to mislead the House, while the latter insisted all related claims were politically motivated.
“There are three separate questions (from Kulasegaran) and I will need some time. Given that this issue of migrant workers is a hot topic and a critical aspect of economic recovery.
“We see many have no other ammunition and they use the migrant worker issue for political gains by twisting the facts.
“The issue has been twisted and this (Dewan Rakyat) is the right place (to explain), aside from the cabinet,” he said, triggering protests from the opposition bench.
Saravanan went on to name Lim Guan Eng (Harapan-Bagan) as among lawmakers allegedly politicising the issue, continuing their spat that has seen both sides daring each other to resign from their positions if proven wrong.
“Not everyone asking for foreign workers is in (legitimate) business. They are in the ‘human trading’ business.
“So as minister, I need to look into the details,” Saravanan said.
He said Kulasegaran as a former human resources minister should be aware of the ministry’s roles - to negotiate memorandums of understanding with source countries, approve hiring quotas, and ensure compliance with Malaysia’s labour laws.
He pointed out there are parts of the recruitment process under the Home Ministry and foreign embassies here which contributed to delays in the arrivals of migrant workers.
Saravanan assured that existing workers plus new arrivals will raise the total number of migrants employed here to 2.1 million, a figure higher than pre-pandemic times of around 1.8 million workers.
Various stakeholders have highlighted complaints from industry associations, the most recent being MBAM, on delays in the arrival of workers despite employers having their hiring quotas approved. - Mkini
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