BUTTERWORTH, July 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed the relevant ministries and departments to resolve foreign worker employment application issues according to priority, particularly for the restaurant sector, within one month.

He said the government understood the urgent need for restaurant operators in the country to fill labour shortages, but at the same time needed to ensure that the recruitment of foreign workers was carried out in a controlled manner.

“We cannot open up the space completely just to fill vacancies in a country where there are too many foreign workers, including unskilled ones, but I agree that there is an urgent need to fill worker shortages in certain sectors, including restaurants.

“So, insya-Allah, starting from Monday, I am giving the relevant ministries and departments a maximum period of one month to resolve foreign worker issues according to priority,” he said at the launch of the Indian Muslim Transformational Framework (IMTF) 2030 at the PICCA@Arena Butterworth Convention Centre here last night.

Also present were Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Steven Sim and Pertubuhan Gabungan Mukmin Nasional (Mukmin) president Datuk Shahul Dawood. — Bernama