KUALA LUMPUR – Former Klang MP Charles Santiago said Bestinet Sdn Bhd remained a concern with regards to migrant worker recruitment, noting previous calls for a review of the company’s role in the foreign labour sector.
He said the information technology company, which developed the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) for the government, had been investigated in the past over alleged corruption and abuse of power involving the selection of 25 Bangladeshi agencies for migrant worker recruitment.
“(This was) a concern also raised by the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies.
“The need for a review of Bestinet was also raised by the-then opposition leader and current Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim.
“Let’s go above semantics and focus on corruption plaguing labour recruitment,” Santiago said in a statement today in response to Bestinet’s demand for an apology for his claims that the company was a broker in the recruitment of migrant workers.
“Bestinet admitted it has accredited 100 labour agencies so far. But how were they chosen from the existing 1,300 agencies? Was it due to efficiency, best practices, and other qualities?” the former lawmaker added.
Bestinet yesterday demanded an immediate apology from Santiago, refuting his claims that it was involved in migrant worker recruitment processes, and reiterating its role as merely an IT company that developed the FWCMS system.
The company said it was reserving the right to seek legal redress against Santiago, who had called for the firm to be “dismantled” for allegedly being “controlled by a major labour broker”.
Santiago today reiterated his position that the management of migrant workers should be placed directly under the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure transparency and accountability. – The Vibes, April 17, 2023
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