KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged employers today to sidestep middlemen when hiring foreign workers, saying the profits made in the process are akin to a slavery trading business.

In a reply to Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun, he also stressed that employers, who have been cheated by unscrupulous agents, should report the infraction to the ministry for further action.

“We no longer allow agencies for foreign workers to be rampant and we ask employers who have been cheated, to report to the immigration and show evidence of fraud including if they claimed that they have paid the levy and other service charge to the agencies.

“The employers are allowed to apply directly and not through a third party, because most of the time the agents are profiteering from this. I don’t want to have a slavery-trading business in our country,” he said.

While the Bagan Datok MP said the ministry does not have an official number of illegal immigrants, he pointed out that of the 1.3 million foreigners registered under the 6P programme, about 503,000 are now legal.

The 6P programme, which was initiated in October 2011 and ended last month, referred to six processes in resolving the issue of illegal foreign workers and immigrants in the country.

The former defence minister also said the workforce in Malaysia should take up job opportunities here and not look down on blue collar jobs, in an effort to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign workers.

“We have taken various steps such as the job clearing system along with Human Resources Ministry in the peninsula and with all the relevant ministries involved in employing foreign workers, especially for the service and manufacturing sectors, that locals are given priority and agencies in every sector to ensure that the limit for foreign workers is adhered to, we also have an age limit in place for foreign workers, which is from the ages of 18 and 45.

“We have to have a long-term plan to be debated in this Dewan with all agencies and private sector so that they can prioritise locals,” he said.

Meanwhile, he stressed that bribery in the process of hiring foreign workers will not be tolerated.

“If you have any information, let me know, I will never compromise with corruption, whether it’s done by officers in the Home Ministry or by the immigration or any agency, or individuals who claim to be representing the Home Ministry, please let me know,” he said.

Ahmad Zahid also said it was impossible to reduce the one million foreign workers as suggested by the Pakatan Rakyat manifesto.

“Regarding Pakatan Rakyat’s manifesto to reduce foreign workers, I want to say that the manifesto is good but it is unrealistic because it cannot be done.

“Only 15 per cent in the 2008 manifesto has been implemented until 2013, which means it is a rubbish manifesto. So don’t make any more new promises and I think we should have a manifesto based on reality and we hope the government’s action will satisfy all parties,” the Umno vice-president said.