I’m not sending skilled Malaysian workers to Japan, says Saravanan

KUALA LUMPUR: Sending unskilled workers to Japan to hone their abilities will only add value to Malaysia, says Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

“I am not sending any skilled workers to Japan. I am sending unskilled workers to Japan so that they will return to our country as skilled workers,” he said while addressing reports on the export of skilled workforce.

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Saravanan was responding to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers’ (FMM) concern on a potential loss of skilled Malaysians to Japan.

The trade association also asked for more information on the memorandum of collaboration (MoC) between the two countries, after the government recently said that it planned to send local skilled graduates and/or eligible skilled workers to work in Japan under the agreement.

Saravanan said FMM should have asked him about the matter.

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He said once the workers who were sent to Japan return to Malaysia in five years, they will be skilled and big Japanese companies in Malaysia will absorb them.

He said this may also prompt Japanese companies to set up operations in Malaysia due to the availability of skilled workers here.

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“It is going to add value to the country and the individual,” he told a press conference on Friday (June 3) after the Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) contribution campaign for volunteers of government agencies.

Atotal of 50,496 volunteers from government agencies have registered to contribute to Socso’s Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS).

The initiative under Budget 2022 involves agencies such as the Armed Forces, Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Civil Defence Force, Rela, Jakim and the Social Welfare Department.

The target groups under the scheme are mainly volunteers of government agencies, those in service at mosques, those working in community rehabilitation and those who are under contract in the civil service.

The event was also attended by Socso board chairman Tan Sri Dr Mohamed Haniffa Abdullah and CEO Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed.

Heads of government agencies in attendance included Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, Bukit Aman Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department deputy director Datuk Mazli Mazlan, Civil Defence Force chief commissioner Aminurrahim Mohamed, Rela director-general Yahya Sulaiman, and representing the army and navy, assistant chief of staff (Human Resources) Rear Admiral Datuk Pahlawan Muhammad Ruzelme Ahmad.