Migrant Workers: Recruit under single ministry

A Malaysian MP has called for streamlining the country's foreign worker recruitment process, a day after a Bangladeshi lawmaker said that over 1,000 irregular Bangladeshi migrants were imprisoned in Malaysia.

"It's about time for the government to heed the advice to amend the law to enable one single ministry instead of multiple ministries to be in charge of the applications, vetting, processing, and renewing the necessary documents for foreign workers," Lim Lip Eng, a member of parliament (MP) of Democratic Action Party from Kepong in northern Kuala Lumpur, said in a statement yesterday, reports Malaysiakini.

"This needs to be done as layers of bureaucracy enable corruption," he said, adding, "The more the bureaucracy, the more opportunities for corruption."

Speaking to the news portal, earlier on Friday, Tanvir Shakil Joy, a lawmaker from Sirajganj-1 constituency, said that over 1,000 Bangladeshis are currently in Malaysian prisons due to their undocumented status.

"This could be one reason why, despite the unprecedented influx of Bangladeshis to Malaysia last year, Bangladesh is not recording a corresponding increase in foreign remittances. It's very important for the Bangladesh government to address issues plaguing overseas employment effectively," said Tanvir, also the chairperson of the Bangladesh Parliamentarians' Caucus on Migration and Development.

Since mid-2022, over 400,000 Bangladeshis have been recruited in Malaysia, bringing the total number of Bangladeshis employed in the Southeast Asian country to around 800,000.

However, there were frequent reports of migrants being duped, losing their jobs, and falling in debt.

Lim Lip Eng further stated that the plight of over 1,000 undocumented Bangladeshis in Malaysian prisons highlights the need to consolidate the processing of foreign worker applications under a single ministry.

Lim said, "As an MP, I'm deeply grieved over the plight of these prisoners and their families in Bangladesh, many of whom have been scammed, exploited, and extorted in hopes of working in Malaysia.

"Many of them have sold their properties to pay their way here but they ended up being placed behind bars for crimes they did not commit."

"These Bangladeshis come to Malaysia hoping to get unattractive, lowly paid menial work often labelled 'dirty, dangerous, and difficult' (3D) that very few Malaysians are willing to do."

He added that many from other countries took on these jobs to escape poverty.

"The question that many of us have been asking time and again is: 'How on earth could these undocumented migrant workers be allowed to enter our country without the knowledge of our authorities, especially the immigration department?'"

"There must be some loopholes and corruption involved, and the culprits that brought them here or facilitated their entry must, therefore, face the full wrath of the law."

"Furthermore, unless they were involved in criminal activities, these Bangladeshis who have become victims of injustice should be allowed to apply for job vacancies in the country instead of bringing in new workers," said Lim, adding that placing them behind bars will only strain prison resources.