The casualty list at the human resources ministry has been relatively high. The minister was questioned, five of his aides sacked with three of them being arrested before that and the latest, two very senior officers transferred out to “cold storage.”
However, there has been no official confirmation of the reported removal of the director-general of labour, Asri Ab Rahman, and the ministry’s deputy secretary-general of operations, Khair Razman Annuar.
They have been placed in a pool of officers awaiting re-posting, and are considered to be in “cold storage” over disciplinary matters or having fallen out of favour.
Why the deafening silence from the authorities over a matter which seems so serious?
Last month, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ordered two immigration officers of the Malaysian embassy in Dhaka to return home, arresting them upon arrival for investigations over the recruitment of migrant workers.
They were remanded on suspicion of receiving bribes in connection with the issuance of visas to Bangladeshi tourists and workers.
The MACC has reportedly also frozen more than 20 bank accounts and seized assets believed to belong to the two officers, including eight plots of land, estimated to be worth RM3.1 million.
What has happened to this case?
For a government which promised reforms and transparency, none of the authorities seem to be clearing the air on why these actions were taken or the progress of investigations. The respective ministers should have come forth to meet the media and explain what is going on.
Officials cannot hide anything any more. It is out all over social media and in news media outlets.
Shouldn’t the ministry’s secretary-general or the head of the public services department step out to explain what is going on? What about the minister himself addressing the issue?
The silence has led to massive speculation about the manner of recruitment of foreign workers and approval of quotas for dubious firms.
Coincidentally or otherwise, hundreds of workers from Bangladesh and Nepal who arrived here since December have been left without jobs after spending the equivalent of RM20,000 and being left on foreign soil with virtually nothing.
The whole episode, caused by a small powerful group, is making Malaysians look like a bunch of unscrupulous people out to fleece the poor.
Governments have come and gone but this problem still persists.
The heartless recruitment agencies are known to rake in huge profits from this “flesh trade,” and it is an open secret that gate-keeping civil servants and politicians have also enabled this act of corruption.
What is mind-boggling is why the authorities have not taken any action against companies that obtained the quotas but were not able to provide jobs although they were named in the temporary work pass.
Something is terribly wrong.
Activists and NGOs are claiming that some companies only exist in name, but have no operations, and “sell” these workers to any employer in need of labour. Such claims must be probed as it is tantamount to human smuggling.
The last we heard a few weeks ago was that certain firms were being investigated. Haven’t we heard this before?
The name of the employer is clearly stated in the work permit and they could be easily hauled up if false claims had been made for the purpose of obtaining a quota.
If the quota had been approved without proper investigation into the background of the firm, who gave the nod? The records should be available, making it easy for enforcement.
Why the lethargy?
A lot needs to be done to restore dignity to foreign workers in Malaysia, who are generally looked down upon, although they are a vital cog to the nation’s economy.
If this problem is not resolved once and for all, Malaysians will pay dearly. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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