KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya is demanding the United States release confiscated Malaysian goods that were seized over allegations of forced labour if the country refuses to accept them.
This was the message conveyed by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin to representatives of the US’ Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during her visit to Washington last month.
This follows the issuance of withhold release orders (WROs) on a number of local companies from the rubber and plantation industry and the seizure of their products in the US amounting to possibly tens of million of ringgit throughout the pandemic period.
Speaking to the press after officiating the Malaysian Rubber Council’s Global Funding for Rubber Innovation event, Zuraida described some of the actions taken by CBP against local companies as unfair.
“As a country, we have to make sure our products are received well. If you don’t want them, we will send them somewhere else. But don’t hold on to our products,” she said here today.
“We have expressed our opinion to them, and they now appear to be more understanding towards us.”
Zuraida is, however, optimistic that the seized items will be released in the near future, citing progress following her meeting with US officials.
“The issues should be rectified and I think the products will be released within the next three to six months, God willing,” she said.
Zuraida was asked to comment on the contents of her discussion with the US over the seizure and banning of local goods over allegations of forced labour.
Previously, in an interview with The Vibes, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan had said Malaysia has been the subject of unfair treatment by the US after several local firms were banned from exporting to the federation.
Among other things, Saravanan had said American authorities have failed to explain in detail the violations that Malaysian firms have committed, particularly after investigations by his ministry were unable to identify such issues.
He also claimed that some of the allegations by the US, including the issue of debt bondage, should not have been targeted at Malaysia as these incidents happened in the source country of the foreign labourers.
According to Zuraida, during her recent meeting with the CBP officials, she had told them that a better mechanism is needed to identify and verify allegations of forced labour, particularly when it involves the source country.
She also asked the US to undergo a proper verification process before taking any action against Malaysian companies allegedly involved in forced labour activities.
On top of this, Zuraida wants a proper scheduled timeline to be established over the period of the WROs.
“Thankfully, after our meeting, they now seem more lenient. They said we should move on and move forward. They are now more open, engaging with us and understanding the issues we are facing.
“We felt some of their accusations were unfair. I elaborated on this to them, like the lack of verification.
“You can’t just act against us without prior notification based on a complaint of a single individual.” – The Vibes, June 7, 2022
