Tenaganita urges action against recruiting agencies leaving foreign workers in limbo

SHAH ALAM - Migrant worker watchdog, Tenaganita has called on the government to take responsibility for the victims of the corrupt foreign worker recruitment system.

It's Executive Director Glorene A Das said there are numerous cases of migrant workers who find themselves stranded without employment after being recruited to Malaysia with valid documents.

"The Human Resources Ministry claims that the current oversupply of foreign workers is caused by rogue labour supply agencies.

"However rogue agents cannot send workers legally to Malaysia without valid temporary work visas with specific companies," she said in a statement

She asked the ministry to explain the approval process, further questioning the blatant violations of the approval procedures.

"Vain attempts to shift the blame on to others only means that we are not ready to rectify a corrupt and broken system," she added.

Das also said that quotas for foreign or migrant workers have been granted to companies in amounts that far exceed their actual requirements or even to companies that do not meet the criteria for any visas.

"There are close to a thousand such cases that we have encountered which clearly shows that the breach in SOP are not mere accidental occurrences but rather indicative of gross incompetence or systemic corruption and disregard for procedures," she added.

She said the number of quotas approved are based on the employers' eligibility at the time of application” but the facts show otherwise.

"For example, hundreds of quotas have been issued to companies whose size or nature of business would not qualify them for a single quota," she said.

Therefore, Tenaganita said the ministry owes the public a clear explanation of how such breaches have occurred.

While the technicalities over the issue of quotas and temporary employment visas are being debated, Tenaganita said there are tragedy of broken dreams and hopes and the immeasurable pain and suffering experienced by the thousands of foreign or migrant workers in the country.

They are left in a limbo of unemployment due to the incompetence or greed of Malaysian public officials, she claimed.

Tenaganita's director and case officer, Joseph Paulcase officer said almost all of the foreign workers had borrowed moey of RM6,000 to RM20,000 (depending on the country they come from) at exorbitant interest rates to pay recruitment fees.

"One can only imagine the mental stress and anguish of these workers as each month passes by without a job and income," he said.

Meanwhile, Tenaganita's consultant and case advisor Abdul Aziz Ismail said the government holds a responsibility in taking care of foreign and migrant workers wherebouts.

"Our government has a duty of care towards these unemployed foreign or migrant workers who were recruited into the country with valid documents with assurance of employment.

"It may not be long before our government is cited as being accessory to the crime of human trafficking on a national scale," he said.

The body also questioned if the foreign workers will be treated as illegals and face arrest, detention, punishment and deportation.

"At the same time, are the employers in whose name the temporary employment visas issued, required to provide adequate food and shelter and a basic income to their workers until they obtain suitable alternative jobs?," Tenaganita questioned.

Tenaganita also stressed the need for a dialogue and consultation to see how to solve the problem before more foreign or migrant workers fall victim to this inhumane form of treatment, being stranded and criminalised in Malaysia.