PETALING JAYA: The Plantations and Commodities Minister, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, stated that employers who treat their foreign workers well have nothing to worry about with the proposal to penalize companies that exploit them. He emphasized the government’s need to act swiftly in addressing the issue of foreign workers being deceived about job opportunities.
Johari made this statement in response to the objection from the Malaysian Manufacturers Federation president Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai regarding the proposal to fine RM30,000 per person to companies that fail to provide jobs to their workers. He also mentioned that the proposal serves as a deterrence against unscrupulous parties from exploiting the system.
He clarified that if there is evidence of agencies using fake documents to artificially increase the quota asked for, then the agencies would be fined. Companies that do not exploit the recruitment process will not be fined and should not be worried.
The fines proposed are said to be commensurate with the offenses committed and would also cover the costs of repatriating the foreign workers, currently borne by the government.
Johari also stressed the need to further tighten the recruitment processes for foreign workers by only approving companies of such quotas when they apply to hire them. He highlighted the possibility that some companies are asking for quotas of foreign workers without any job openings, which is seen as human trafficking or forced labor.
He added that any agencies or employers not involved in such practices should not be worried about being fined by the authorities. The former second finance minister pointed out that foreign workers who end up without jobs upon arrival in Malaysia become a major burden on the country’s resources.
He mentioned that these workers cannot afford to go back to their country and end up soaking up resources in terms of subsidies, healthcare, and creating social problems. Johari further said that the proposal was made following reports on the detention of 171 Bangladeshi workers who were detained when they turned up at the Bayu Damai police station in Kota Tinggi, Johor to lodge a report against their agent.
