US unfairly sanctioned palm oil producer because it employed people on parole, says Zuraida

KUALA LUMPUR: The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has accused Sime Darby Plantations Bhd of forced labour just because the company employed parolees, says Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin(pic).

She argued that labelling working parolees as forced labour was against the spirit of UN Sustainable Development Goals, which call for inclusivity and an end to discrimination against vulnerable groups.

She said she would lead a delegation to the United States for a meeting with the CBP, which issued a withhold release order (WRO) in December 2020 on palm oil produced by Sime Darby due to the forced labour allegations.

The company remains unable to export its palm oil and related products to the United States over the claim, she added.

“The government allows parole for only selected prison inmates who are then recruited for certain jobs.

“As the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was unclear on the category for this, Sime Darby recruited some parolees.

“Because of this, Sime Darby was accused of using convict labour,” she told the Dewan Rakyat when winding up her ministerial replies on the motion of thanks on Wednesday (March 16).

Earlier, Sivarasa Rasiah (PH-Sungai Buloh) asked Zuraida how the government intended to address the allegations of forced labour as it affected the country’s image at the international level.

Zuraida said she was supposed to meet with the CBP in January but the trip was postponed due to the Covid-19 situation.

However, she would be asking the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for a new meeting date, she added.

She said that when allegations of forced labour were made, there had to be a proper verification process and engagement between the parties involved and the government before any action is taken.

“I will bring this up with the CBP and the European Union... there must be a proper verification process and engagement with the companies.

“They can also come (here) to investigate and we can work to improve the conditions.

“So far, there is no such process. They just accuse and immediately sanction, but this is unfair,” she said.

Zuraida added that countries such as the United States have a different interpretation of forced labour compared to Malaysia’s.

“Language that they (Malaysian employers) use when speaking to a Bangladeshi worker, for example, would surely have different semantics when translated by an American.

“They (employers) may say one thing but a different thing is reported,” she said.

She added that this was in part caused by a “double-edged sword” of non-governmental organisations (NGO) and individuals who just wanted to collect their pay as consultants but gave differing accounts to stakeholders.