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 Wanita Umno chief said Malaysia had the right to reject proposals that were against national policies.
<P>The Government, she stressed, had the right to accept or reject requests or proposals made by trading partners negotiating FTAs.</P>
<P>“No country, not even the US or others, have the right to decide
the country’s policies. Only we have the right,” Rafidah said in her winding-up address.</P>
<P>She explained that Malaysia was not obliged to ink FTAs even if talks had commenced.</P>
<P>Each FTA would be studied for its pros and cons by the relevant agencies during negotiations to ensure it was beneficial to the country, she pointed out.</P>
<P>On investments, Rafidah said for the first nine months of the year, foreign direct investments totalled RM13.5bil which created employment for over 70,000 people.</P>
<P>Over the same period, she said the Government approved 771 projects worth RM35.2bil, with almost RM3mil projects in the agriculture sector and RM13.3mil in biotechnology.</P>
<P>In the small and medium-scale enterprise sector, Rafidah said the Government had approved grants worth RM71.2mil for bumiputra-owned SMEs.</P>
<P>“We also approved loans worth RM255.8mil for more than 3,000 bumiputra SMEs,” she disclosed.</P>
<P>Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad “took charge” in her winding-up speech, asking all supreme council members and delegates to give Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a standing ovation.</P>
<P>In response, Abdullah graciously took a bow.</P>
<P>“Puteri is thankful that the leadership places such great emphasis on the people and importance on the uplifting of the race, religion and nation as a whole,” said Noraini.
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