KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today announced that any authorised agents can now hire Bangladeshi nationals to work in Malaysia.
Prior to this, the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) through the Application for Employment of Foreign Workers (SPPA) would only refer employers to the specific 10 companies designated as the sole authorised agents for the hiring of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia.
“We had a meeting with officials from Bangladesh and it was found that there is a strong monopoly situation where each worker pays up to RM 20,000 per person.
“Let them have a competition among themselves,” he said.
Dr Mahathir also said in the near future one system will be established to handle all matters related to the hiring of foreign workers, regardless of its country of origin.
He said employers who have made payment to the government prior to the hiring process can claim a refund.
“We will also create an independent committee chaired by a high-level civil service personnel — a former judge of Secretary-General, as the study will be secretariat by institute, information and analysis of the market as a whole to look into the policies and managing of foreign workers,” he said.
“Foreign workers have become a very big problem for us because too many of them have come into the country illegally and this needs to be addressed,” he added.
He said a committee will be set up to specifically address problems that persist in the hiring process.
Dr Mahathir said the Home Ministry and Human Resources Ministry will work together on it.
