THE government will convene a Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers as early as next week to tackle issues surrounding the employment of foreign workers across key industries, including the food and beverage sector.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said this was decided during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, and it will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said the committee has been tasked with reviewing concerns raised by industries that depend on foreign labour and identifying practical solutions to ensure the issues are resolved in a coordinated manner.
“The objective is to ensure issues involving foreign workers are managed effectively and resolved. For sectors that have raised these concerns, we will await the committee’s findings,” Fahmi told reporters at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing.
Separately, Fahmi said the government is still studying proposals concerning Rohingya refugees following a series of inter-agency coordination meetings involving multiple ministries and enforcement bodies.
The discussions involved the National Security Council (MKN), the Home Ministry, the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the Immigration Department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the Selangor Menteri Besar’s Office and several other agencies.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed the Home Ministry to review the recommendations and coordinate follow-up measures with the relevant ministries, including the Foreign Ministry, as well as enforcement agencies.
According to Fahmi, the coordinated approach is intended to ensure that any future action — including matters related to registration, enforcement and other issues involving Rohingya refugees — is implemented consistently across all agencies and local authorities.
“No specific decision has been made at this point. Discussions are still ongoing and will continue in the near future,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet has adopted “Malaysia MADANI: Kesejahteraan Dinikmati” as the official theme for the 2026 National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations, while retaining the Malaysia MADANI logo as this year’s official emblem.
Fahmi said the theme reflects the government’s aspiration to build an inclusive, progressive and harmonious nation where prosperity is shared by all Malaysians.
“The focus is to ensure that well-being is not enjoyed only by certain groups, but by all Malaysians,” he said.
He added that a series of programmes will be held nationwide throughout National Month in a celebration that will be festive yet modest, in line with the government’s approach. Information on the events will be made available through the official Merdeka360 platform.
Fahmi also confirmed that this year’s National Day celebration on Aug 31 will be held at Dataran Putrajaya.
“It will be a more modest celebration, but no less vibrant. There will be several unique highlights for the public, although it is still too early to reveal them,” he said. – June 26, 2026
