Human Resource Minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan must give details with regard to the announcement by his Ministry that it has given approval for 541,315 foreign workers

In a media statement issued by the Human Resource Ministry on 1st October 2022 (Saturday), it announced that it has given approval for 541,315 foreign workers until 26th September 2022 of which 436,613 have already paid the levy.

The announcement is a surprised as employers from various sectors are complaining of acute shortage of workers. I call on the Human Resource Minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan to state the period these approvals were give, how they were given and if they follow normal process of application. Were these applications given special treatment because the employers know the Minister or if they went through agents who have internal contacts and where extra payments were made ? This is because many employers have complained that it is impossible for them to get approval for foreign workers quota due to the various obstacles at the Human Resource Ministry and the Home Ministry without the help of an agent who has internal contacts in the Ministries and extra money has to be paid to secure an approval.

Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has until today not denied that some people in his Ministry were collecting RM1,500.00 per foreign worker or such other amount of money before an interview is granted. The complaints by the employers having to pay to get the appointment for an interview were also reported in the Star newspaper on 5th August 2022 (Friday).

Is the above media statement by the Human Resource Ministry just another lie from Datuk Seri M. Saravanan?

He has been shown to have lied on the following occasions:

1. It was announced that the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) website https://fwcms.com.my will be used for the application of the recalibration/ legalizing of illegal foreign workers commencing 1st July 2021. Employers who tried using the website found it not functioning. In October 2021, I received a written parliamentary answer confirming that the website was not functioning.
2. On 26th July 2022, he said in Dewan Rakyat that an application for foreign workers quota can be done online without having to go through an agent. It was proven to be untrue. Employers have to go through an agent who has internal contact and extra money has to be paid.
3. On 29th July 2022, his Ministry announced that commencing 1st August 2022, the interview for the application for foreign workers quota will be conducted at the Human Resource Ministry offices at the respective states and for Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan the interview will be conducted at Putrajaya. It operated only for a few days and stopped without notice to the public. The interviews once again are conducted only at the Ministry’s Putrajaya office causing great inconvenience to the employers especially those from distant states.
4. He lied when he said I brought up the issue on the difficulty to get approval for foreign workers quota for personal interest when the problem is so wide spread and employers from around the country are complaining.