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?
“The EPF should be a little aggressive and yet be prudent in doing so,
as the people must not lose in any way,” said Malaysian Trade Unions Congress
(MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud in a statement.
<p>Syed Shahir said the EPF could offer better dividends to contributors if it
invested funds in low-risk overseas portfolios. </p>
<p>“In order to make things transparent, the EPF can hire world-class fund
managers with a proven track record to make the right recommendations. </p>
<p>“Countries like Australia, Hong Kong and Switzerland have already started
investing their pension funds outside their countries,” said Syed Shahir.
</p>
<p>Similarly, he said the EPF should compete with them in terms of securing good
investment returns for its contributors. </p>
<p>“I believe the contributors would not mind if the EPF invests in overseas
markets as long as the board exercises extreme caution. </p>
<p>“The dividend payouts will not improve if the EPF does not boldly venture
beyond its borders,” said Syed Shahir. </p>
<p>He said that although the MTUC was encouraging the EPF to invest abroad, it
did not mean that fund managers could take unnecessary risks.
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com