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?
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) wants the Pakatan Harapan government to focus on helping the B40 and M40 groups in its first budget to be tabled in Parliament on Friday.
Its secretary-general J Solomon said this would include providing free higher education and capping the price of affordable housing at RM100,000.
He claimed budgets over the past 61 years had been “facilitating” the accumulation of profits and wealth for the corporate sector and the rich rather than addressing the concerns of the large majority in the B40 and M40 categories.
He said the government’s budget had to be designed such that it would narrow the income and wealth inequality.
Taxation, he said, would be one way of reducing the income and wealth disparity.
He said the government should impose a higher tax on the corporate sector and individuals who earned “excessively”, and “distribute” the money so that the B40 and M40 groups benefit.
“This will facilitate greater money circulation among a majority of the people who are in the lower end, which will eventually facilitate greater consumption, thereby facilitating the growth of production and eventually the growth of the economy of the country,” he told FMT.
He said those in the corporate sector and rich individuals had already “accumulated extensive wealth for themselves”.
“Therefore, it is timely that the new government focuses more on distributing the wealth and the prosperity of the country equitably among all sections of the society.”
He said the government could use funds raised from such taxation and other means for the benefit of the B40 and M40 groups in areas such as health, housing and education.
“The government should formulate a dynamic policy and pragmatic programmes for decent and affordable housing for Malaysian workers.
“Interest free loans from a revolving fund for affordable housing through MBSB and RHB, where EPF holds substantial stakes, should be provided to workers in the B40 and M40 groups.”
He said affordable housing should be capped at RM100,000 for the B40 and M40 in order to enable them to repay the instalments and take home a decent wage that would lead to decent living.
Medicines and treatment at government hospitals for these two groups, he said, should be free.
He said free higher education was the best solution for students whose parents fell within the B40 and M40 income brackets to improve their chances of graduating and joining the work force and contributing to the economy of the country.
“Instead of a 100% National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan to students whose parents are 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BRIM) beneficiaries, free education will raise the standard of living of graduating students whose families are already in debt in trying to make ends meet.”
Address: Wisma MTUC,10-5, Jalan USJ 9/5T, 47620 Subang Jaya,Selangor | Tel: 03-80242953 | Fax: 03-80243225 | Email: sgmtuc@gmail.com.com