Labour recruitment: Let’s rise above semantics

 

The latest issue concerning migrant workers is the Bangladeshi High Commission bemoaning many of their citizens who come to Malaysia and remain jobless.

And has raised concerns about them ending up as victims of human trafficking.

The Human Resources Ministry has promised to find them jobs and its minister V Sivakumar acknowledged they lived in “appalling” conditions.

These are grave issues that need the attention of the government without further delay.

Now, let’s look at the litigation threat from Bestinet, in response to my recent tweets.

Firstly, this is not the first time Bestinet has gotten bad media publicity.

Media outlets have reported about Bestinet being investigated for alleged corruption and abuse of power involving the selection of 25 Bangladeshi agencies for migrant worker recruitment.

This is also a concern also raised by the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA).

The need for a review of Bestinet was also raised by the-then opposition leader and current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Bestinet admitted it has accredited 100 labour agencies so far but how were they chosen from the existing 1,300 agencies?

Was it due to efficiency, best practices and other qualities?

Local media has also referred to the Bestinet boss, Amin Abdul Nor, as a businessperson involved in the recruitment of Bangladeshi migrant workers.

So, please let’s rise above semantics.

We are currently seeing the MACC, under the Anwar administration, going the extra mile to nip graft in the recruitment of labour migrants.

Kudos, but many questions remain about the existing labour recruitment practices.

So, let me say this again. The management of migrant workers must be placed directly under the Prime Minister’s Department to ensure transparency and accountability.

It must be chaired by Anwar and headed by a retired senior government servant or judge.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar’s progressive government must also support a zero-recruitment fee policy to be rid of modern-day slavery and debt bondage because workers are still forced to borrow money to pay for transport and health screening.

Globally, we have been accused of violating forced labour protocols. This has caused employers to spend millions in US dollars because employers pay recruitment costs to labour brokers.

This is advantageous to brokers who also collect money from workers. This can be mitigated if the government moves forward to zero recruitment costs.

So, let’s do everything in our power to put an end to the rampant corruption and continuous victimisation of migrant workers and some Malaysian employers. - Mkini

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CHARLES SANTIAGO is a former Klang MP for DAP.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.