KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to act against the allegations surrounding two companies that supply foreign workers to the country.
In a brief statement today, Anwar also said the two companies, Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) and Bestinet have been mired in controversies and warrant a thorough investigation from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on how they managed to secure government contracts.
“This critical issue warrants a swift and stern action from the prime minister as it involves the name of the minister, former minister, from the PM and the human resources minister,” said Anwar.
“This is important because it affects the image and Malaysia’s reputation on the international stage as well as our resolve and determination in fighting corruption.
“I had raised the issue of modern slavery in Parliament where employees are oppressed while middlemen and agents act as oppressors while gaining huge profits.
“I demand a full investigation by the MACC towards these two companies on how they suspiciously managed to secure government contracts,” he added.
This comes after Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad had revealed that neither he nor the republic’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had any say in limiting the number of companies allowed to supply workers to Malaysia.
Imran was refuting the statement by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, who alleged that it was Bangladesh that set the 25 recruitment agency limit and had even claimed that it was indicated to him by the republic’s prime minister.
Similarly, the Dhaka-based WARBE Development Foundation and its chairman Syed Saiful Haque, have accused Saravanan and Bestinet founder Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Abdul Nor of being behind a syndicate to profit from the recruiting process.
Bestinet is a Malaysian company that manages the country’s Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS).
UKSB, however, had become the centre of attention following the court case of former home minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in recent weeks.
UKSB entered into several agreements with the Malaysian government and the Home Ministry for visa facilitation services by operating several One Stop Centres (OSC) in China from 2012 onwards.
Zahid is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the OSCs in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply the VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the Home Ministry. – The Vibes, June 18, 2022
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