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Foreign workers shortage: Call on the Home Minister to fulfill the government's promise of quick approval for foreign worker applications Media Statement by Kerk Kim Hock (Petaling Jaya, Saturday): In response to the problem of foreign worker shortage faced by the construction industry after the end of the amnesty period for the illegal foreign workers, the Home Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi had assured employers that his Ministry would approve all applications for foreign workers within 30 days. However, this assurance has not been totally fulfilled as I have received complaints that some 30 Malacca construction companies, which have submitted their applications to the Home Ministry in August this year, have not received approvals. The applicants have also complained that hey have been kept in the dark about status of their applications. This is unacceptable as the least the Ministry should and must do is to inform the applicants why there have been delays in the processing of their applications. The plight of the construction industry has been widely reported and there is no doubt that their problems will have chain effect on other sectors, including the general consumers. On immediate problem will be that house buyers will not be able to obtain their houses according to stipulated dagreement. In normal circumstances, an employer will have to wait for 30 days before the Home Ministry can approve his application for foreign workers. Upon approval being obtained, he will need another 30 days for the Immigration Department to process and approve the workers' calling visas. Finally, he will need another 30 days for the Indonesian authorities to process the necessary procedures before the approved workers can depart for Malaysia. As such, any delay in any part of these processes will only add misery to the employers and it is therefore most unfortunate that the Home Ministry has been blamed for causing some delays while Immigration Department has been the target of much public complaints earlier due to congestion problem at the Damansara departments. DAP Members of Parliament comprising Sdr Fong Kui Lun, Sdr Tan Kok Wai, Sdr Chow Kon Yow and myself, as we as DAPSY leaders Sdr Loke Siew Fook and Sdr Lim Chin Foh had visited the Damansara Immigration Department three days and noted that the introduction of three emergency measures, viz, the creation of daily express counters, the decentralization of calling visa processing and the decision to allow the employers to nominate representatives to submit the visa applications, has been able to alleviate the congestion problem. I therefore call on the Home Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Bandai to investigate into the complaints that the Home Ministry has not been able to deliver what he has promised. The Home Minister should adopt the following three steps to ensure that the constructions industries will not be burdened by unnecessary delays due to the bureauctaric inefficiency or procedures. that the Home Ministry must approve all applications for foreign workers within 30 day s as promised by the government. Should any application not being able to be processed or approved due to technical problem, the Home Ministry must inform the applicants that the Immigration Department must immediately publish the standard guidelines for calling visa applications, including the question as to whom can be appointed as the employer's nominated representatives to submit the applications that the Home Ministry and the immigration Department must make regular reports to the Minister on the number and reasons of applications which have not been able to be approved within the time stipulated in their Clients' Charter   (9/11/2002) * Kerk Kim Hock, DAP Secretary General