Malaysia is one of Asia's biggest employers of foreign labour. But recently, cases of deaths, abuse and forced labour have come to light. What is going on? Who is protecting these migrant workers?
Labour Counsellor with the Pakistani High Commission Abdul Aziz Uqaila said
it was standard operating procedure for all Pakistani workers wanting to work
overseas to obtain a certificate of clearance from the police.
<p>"The certificate will testify that these workers have had their backgrounds
checked and found to be free of any criminal record," he said, adding that
there were some two million Pakistanis working in countries like Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates, United States and Britain. </p>
<p>"Pakistani workers coming to Malaysia will also be travelling on machine-readable
passports, which are only issued to them after the necessary background checks
in our country," he said here yesterday. </p>
<p>Abdul Aziz was commenting on fears voiced by certain quarters in Malaysia that
Pakistani workers must be vetted to prevent those with any terrorist link from
coming here. </p>
<p>Home Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid had said the Government would fast track the
recruitment of the Pakistani workers – many of whom would be over in a month
– by exempting them from taking the compulsory induction course. </p>
<p>"Machine readable passports will make it easier for Malaysia’s Home Ministry’s
efforts to streamline and regulate foreign workers in your country. We feel
this is a very important move so we agreed to implement the procedure,"
he said. </p>
<p>Abdul Aziz said officials from the Home Ministry here were expected to visit
Pakistan to facilitate the arrival of these workers "as soon as possible."
</p>
<p>"We will process the demands of Malaysian employers for our workers and
this will take about a month. Then, the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC)
of Pakistan will submit the passports of these workers to the Malaysian High
Commissions in Karachi and Islamabad to be issued with visas. </p>
<p>"Then, we will be able to bring them here," he said. </p>
<p>Malaysian Employers Federation president Md Jafar Abdul Carrim said employers
were assured by the minister’s statement on the efficiency of the OEC. </p>
<p>He said employers were not worried about how to recruit the workers as there
were several agents handling the recruitment in Malaysia. </p>
<p>"But if the High Commission can publish the names of their authorised
representatives and agents here, that would be very useful for us," he
said, adding that the concern now was to fill the 250,000 vacancies in critical
sectors. </p>
<p>In Kangar, Home Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid said the Government was confident
that the intake of Pakistani workers would not affect the country’s security
as the selection process would be done in order. </p>
<p>He said not every Pakistani qualified to enter the country as a worker, as
each person would be screened and the particulars entered into a reliable database.
</p>
<p>"They must be quality workers who can fill the vacancies created by the
return of illegals to their home countries. We will not allow those with criminal
or terrorism links to enter the country," he said. </p>
<p>He said the foreign workers must respect the country’s laws and culture while
making an honest and decent living here.
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