YOURSAY | New HR minister Sim has work cut out for him

YOURSAY | ‘The whole system is corrupted and stinks to high heaven.’

Migrant workers’ arrest: HR minister to summon agent involved

Observer from Space: Finally, another minister who is working and looking into rectifying faulty enforcement efforts. A rare species indeed.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, we urge you to be bold and courageous to stem out every “ant” involved in this matter.

How on earth did an appointed agent get to bring in so many foreign workers when there were no vacancies for them?

Should it not be the case only when there’s a valid need, for an application to be made by an employer through the agent to secure permits for bringing them into the country?

I suggest all agents’ hiring permits be revoked immediately.

The Human Resources Ministry under Sim should look at the validity and credibility of these agents.

A panel for recruitment must be formed under the ministry and all requests for foreign labour must go through this panel. 

If the panel performs poorly, the members must be terminated from their positions. It’s about time Malaysia operates within the framework of meritocracy and transparency.

Ranjit Singh Malhi: Sim, I salute you for your prompt and right action.

Workers who enter our country legally should be protected and not treated as criminals.  

Corruption, unfortunately, has permeated all levels of Malaysian society. Integrity has become a “dirty word” and those who uphold the truth often end up being persecuted or sidelined.

You are a beacon of hope to turn things around. You can count on my support and that of right-thinking Malaysians.

World Citizen: The migrant workers’ problem is so deep-rooted that the whole system requires a major overhaul.

Those in power and those who held high positions in various enforcement agencies over the years are all involved in this mess.

The whole system is deeply corrupted and stinks to high heaven.

The Human Resources Ministry alone cannot fix it.

We need a major task force with some non-political and non-governmental experts to fix this.

Otherwise, we will be talking about this issue for the next 50 years.

Frans Rozario: This is absolute nonsense. How can agents recruit?

What right have agents got to conduct recruitment?

Recruitment must be conducted by the employers seeking the workers and not agents who have proved to be unscrupulous over and over again, collecting huge sums from workers and then abandoning them.

The Home Ministry and Human Resources Ministry have to be accountable for this mess.

It is their responsibility. These workers are being robbed and this is most certainly human trafficking. It almost seems that the ministries are complicit.

The whole process has to be looked into.

Only employers who are authorised by the Home Ministry must be allowed to go to the host nation to conduct interviews.

Explain all terms and conditions to the workers, and issue them with a copy of the standard terms and conditions and the name and address of the hiring organisation.

Then, the entire process of bringing them in has to be supervised to ensure that we, the government of Malaysia, are not engaged in human trafficking.

We already have a stinking reputation for human trafficking and the government's pussy footing in this area only goes further to tarnish an already tarnished reputation further.

Aren’t we ashamed at all?

GreenFalcon2290: To the average person, it sounds like they arrested the wrong people.

The denial of freedom, a basic right of one and all, on flimsy logic is reprehensible, but apparently, no one bothers about such things here.

On a broader note, perhaps somebody may wish to address the issue of what the situation would be today if the millions of migrant workers, had not contributed to the country’s economic wellbeing in the past decades.

They are treated with contempt by the locals, who want them thrown out. So, who will do the work, pray? The locals apparently don’t want to do these jobs.

Any offers to address this strange kind of craziness?

Anyone in government would like to explain this bizarre conundrum and how this squares with the teachings that govern all conduct here? Thank you.

P Dev Anand Pillai: Dig deep to find out the corrupt culprits in all the government agencies as well!

Whilst you quickly point your finger at the private agencies, please also check your people, and look back at your ministry and all the other participating agencies like the Immigration Department, and the National Registration Department (NRD) when you do your investigation. 

The general rule is that there is corruption everywhere. Ministers can come and go, but if the corrupt still run the administration and the bureaucracy, there is simply no use!

Headhunter: Yet another rouge agent. They seem to do the same thing repeatedly and yet are treated with hardly a slap on the wrist.

The only way to stop this nonsense is a heavy fine and a jail sentence as a deterrence. We understand there are well-connected big shots involved in these scams.

Also, if these immigrants have work permits, how is it that they got arrested?  

Permits should only be approved if employment is assured.

751Joekanda: There was a detailed investigation and reports done by Malaysiakini on this subject some time ago.

I hope the new minister can pursue that, and wish him good luck if he can penetrate this old notorious territory. He just needs to watch his step.

Walid JumbLatt: This new human resources minister is one who hopefully will finally crack down on those who deal in bondage and human misery.

This is an indictment of all those involved in treating these poor souls with arrest instead of compassion. Go for those agents who were instrumental in bringing these people in without proper jobs. - Mkini