KUCHING: Malaysia already has 15 countries sourced for foreign workers including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Human Resource Minister M Kula Seharan said memoranda of understanding (MoU) have to be signed again with Bangladesh, Indonesia and several other countries as they had expired.
“We have already signed one with Nepal, and my officers have gone to Bangladesh and Indonesia. We are reviewing the one with Bangladesh. The one with Sri Lanka is still valid but their workers don’t want to come here. Maybe we will go and work there.
“Cambodia is a yes. Indonesia, we are going to sign one with them,” he said at a press conference after a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Tun Openg at the State Legislative Assembly building here yesterday.
“The bottom line is, for workers that come to this country, the hiring cost is zero in compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) ruling,” he said.
Kula said the Cabinet on Aug 29 formed a foreign workers independent committee headed by a former Court of Appeals judge. Their work is already completed and the draft report is ready.
“The Home Ministry headed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin will call them to brief us in totality so that we can take the necessary action. But looking at it overall, there are about 14 recommendations from all over the country,” he said.
The committee had visited Kuching and Miri before, followed by Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu.
In 1990, foreign workers were allowed here for six months, and now after over 20 years the policies on them have become haphazard.
“So what we are going to do is look at the matter holistically. Everything will be in a book. Secondly we want to make all applications to be made online,” he said.
He added that his ministry only has power to process the applications while the final approval is made by the Home Ministry.
