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?
Third World Network (TWN) legal adviser Chee Yoke Ling said there should be
a thorough cost-benefit study on the implications of the FTA before negotiations
moved forward.
<p>“The Government said the benefits will outweigh the cost based on their
arithmetic but we need to look at the arithmetic,” said Chee, one of the
speakers at the US-Malaysia FTA: Implications for Malaysian Society forum organised
by TWN, the Consumer Association of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia. </p>
<p>The forum said the negotiations should be transparent, subject to the scrutiny
of Parliament and public debate. </p>
<p>The speakers said the FTA would have significant impact on the lives of people
– affecting their jobs and food security, the resilience of the domestic
industry and service providers, the viability of small farms and companies,
and ultimately national sovereignty.
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