The Anwar government is looking to change a key platform for managing migrant workers. But it’s facing stiff resistance from the company behind the IT system, sources tell CNA.
KUALA LUMPUR: An ambitious plan by the Anwar Ibrahim government to overhaul the country’s migrant worker recruitment policies, particularly the problem-ridden employment of Bangladesh nationals, is coming under stiff resistance from industry players and segments of civil servants determined to maintain the status quo.
Pushback against the government’s migrant labour reform is coming from privately controlled Bestinet Sdn Bhd, a firm which has strong links to Malaysia’s top politicians and has long been a magnet for controversy, government sources told CNA.
The contention is over plans by the Home Ministry to replace Bestinet’s proprietary IT system that currently manages the movement of foreign labour into Malaysia, which a previous government review had concluded as riddled with abuse and mismanagement.
Bestinet’s contract with the government to operate its so-called Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), which is the sole platform used by the country’s Immigration Department for visa applications from 15 different countries exporting labour to Malaysia, is set to expire at the end of this month, according togovernment sources and documents reviewed by CNA.
The company’s top management, including founder Mohamed Amin Abdul Nor, and labour agents aligned with Bestinet have been actively lobbying the Anwar government, say sources. Thisincludes tapping their connections with Malaysia’s political elite to secure a fresh multi-year extension for the FWCMS concession.
Bestinet is determined to head off a government plan to introduce a new mechanism, administration officials and labour activists close to the situation say.
The new system features an IT portal that has been under development for the past year and seeks to make the process of foreign labour recruitment cheaper, more transparent and minimise third-party involvement.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail did not respond to requests for comment, but a senior advisor to his ministry said the matter will be discussed at the weekly Cabinet meeting before Prime Minister Anwar makes a final decision.
Bestinet executives declined comment for this article.