KUALA LUMPUR – G25 Malaysia has reiterated its call for the government to release the independent committee report on the management of foreign workers submitted in 2019, a call the group had already made in the past.
The group opined that declassifying the report was an imperative move, under the current government’s advocacy for transparent practices.
“Our call follows the oft-repeated statements from the prime minister that his government will practise transparency and accountability to make Malaysia a better democracy,” it said in a statement.
“An open government is fundamental for good governance and democracy to function well,” it added.
The committee included two of its members, former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Yunus and former diplomat Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, who were the chairman and deputy chairman.
G25 lauded the recent declassification of the final investigation of the Double Six air crash in Sabah, and said it hoped the government does the same for the report on management of foreign workers, as taking a long time to do so will cause suspicion.
It also said the report’s content on overseas labour recruitment and management will pique the public’s interest, as the practices are often “secretive and complex”.
Several questions the group raised include whether the processes’ laws and policies had weaknesses, elements of corrupt practices, and the extent of truth to the complaints of migrant workers’ ill-treatment.
“The public pays over RM20,000 to the recruitment agency to bring an Indonesian maid. Employers pay agents highly also to recruit foreign labour for their factories and plantations,” it said.
“All kinds of charges, fees, and levies are imposed on the employers.
“We would like to know what the committee’s report says about the mechanism to ensure that the charges are not passed on by the employers to their foreign workers – resulting in the workers being bonded as forced labour for life,” it added.
G25 said that Malaysians also have concerns about whether syndicates are using corrupt means for migrant workers to obtain local identification cards so they can become citizens and vote in elections.
The group stressed that bringing unskilled migrant workers to Malaysia is a necessary measure, as the nation is short of labour and locals do not want to work 3-D (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) jobs.
G25 also noted the importance for employers to treat their migrant workers humanely, as Malaysia would otherwise be forced to go through trade embargoes.
It cited an incident where US Customs blocked the entry of a Malaysian rubber glove manufacturing company, following complaints that they used forced labour to manufacture its products.
Previously, former Klang MP Charles Santiago urged to bring the report to the public’s view, but said the country opted to “pay the price of inaction” instead of making significant improvements to the management of migrants.
Declassifying the 2016 Sultanah Aminah Hospital fire tragedy report
Similarly, G25 also urged the government to release the report of the independent committee on the Sultanah Aminah Hospital fire tragedy of 2016, which was also chaired by Hishamuddin and former health director-general Tan Sri Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman as the deputy chairman.
“The report of the independent committee was submitted to the government in June 2018,”
“As the cabinet had already declassified this report with a view to make it public way back in October 2019, and there are no more pending court cases, we see no reason why this report should not be made transparent for the public,” it said.
The group referred to an article by a health website quoting former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin as saying the report would be made public upon approval of the ministry’s legal adviser.
“Yes, as I have stated previously, my intention is to publish the report.
“I am just waiting for the green light from our legal adviser – when there are no more claims from the next-of-kin of the victims in court,” he was quoted as saying.
As the statement was made almost a year ago, G25 reiterated its request for the government to “show its sincerity and commitment”, and act accordingly. – The Vibes, April 18, 2023
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