Federal Govt urged to manage ties with Indonesia, says Shafie

KOTA KINABALU: Putrajaya must manage relations with Indonesia in order to resolve the foreign labour shortage in the country, says Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

The former chief minister said foreign labour was a crucial component for the plantation and construction sectors in Sabah, with the industries highly dependent on such workers for their know-how and working skills.

He said Sabah - which is among the largest palm oil-producing states in Malaysia - is currently facing a labour shortage in the plantation industry.

“Many plantations, as well as those in the agriculture sector, do not have adequate workers presently,” he said after a walkabout in Luyang here on Saturday (July 16).

“This matter can be resolved but the talks with our neighbouring country, where we have obtained many of our foreign workers all this while, must be managed well,” he added.

Shafie said that Malaysia needs to work with its neighbours, not only to overcome economic hurdles but also issues of national and regional security.

This comes after Indonesia temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had previously said the Indonesian foreign labour standoff needed to be resolved as soon as possible to avoid further dispute.

Ismail Sabri said that he was worried relations with Jakarta might be affected if the matter were to be prolonged.

He said he had instructed the Human Resources Ministry and the Home Ministry to settle the matter with Indonesia before it escalated further.

Earlier this week, Indonesia, which is the world’s biggest palm oil producer, said it had temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia, citing a breach in a worker recruitment deal signed between the two countries.

Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Hermono reportedly said the freeze was made after Malaysia's Immigration authorities continued using an online recruitment system for domestic workers that had been linked to allegations of trafficking and forced labour.

Shafie said there was no issue for Malaysia to look at sourcing workers from other countries, but that its first priority should be maintaining its relationship with nations closer to its shores like Indonesia and the Philippines.

“There are a lot of Indonesians who are well-versed in the plantation sector and there are workers from the Philippines who are quite knowledgeable about construction work.

“These are the people who are nearby and will not cost much to us and they can easily go back to their hometowns the moment the terms of their contracts end,” he said.