PETALING JAYA: The Human Resources Ministry sees no issue in appointing Bestinet Sdn Bhd to develop and manage a foreign worker recruitment system based on its 15-year track record in handling the country’s migrant labour intake, says Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.
The Human Resources Minister also denied that the appointment had already been made.
He said the government is still open to considering a new foreign worker recruitment system proposed by Bestinet Sdn Bhd with discussions currently focused on how the mechanism could be implemented effectively.
While stressing he was not defending the company, he questioned the basis for objections if Bestinet was appointed to undertake migrant labour intake as it had efficiently managed the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) since 2011.
He also dismissed claims made by the news report that foreign workers were required to pay recruitment fees of up to US$1,000.
“I have said this many times - there should be zero migration cost for foreign workers,” he said at a Concorde Club dialogue session with senior journalists from various media outlets at Wisma Bernama here Thursday (April 16).
Ramanan explained that expenses such as flight tickets, visa processing and other related costs amounting to less than US$1,000 are typically handled by recruitment agents in the workers’ countries of origin and are not collected by Bestinet.
He pointed out that many foreign workers currently fork out between US$5,000 and US$8,000 (RM20,000 to RM25,000) to secure employment in Malaysia.
“Why should a worker pay to come and work for someone?” he asked, adding that under a fairer system that the ministry was working on, the moving costs of foreign workers would be borne by employers.
Touching on allegations surrounding the company, Ramanan said claims that Bestinet chairman Datuk Aminul Islam Abdul Nor, a naturalised Malaysian citizen originally from Bangladesh, was being sought by the Bangladesh government had been clarified at the highest level.
He said two senior officials, including a minister from Bangladesh, had met with him and had not raised any issues with any individual in Malaysia or requested for their extradiction.
Ramanan said the officials also expressed confidence in the FWCMS and described it as reliable system.
He alleged that the government's anti-corruption stance had turned it into a target for certain parties.
“In the fight against corruption, there will be parties out to take a hit,” he said.
On a separate matter on the government’s move to implement work-from-home (WFH) arrangements among civil servants, he said civil servants who began working remotely on Wednesday (April 15) are closely monitored through a dedicated digital application with senior management tracking their daily progress through hourly or bi-hourly updates.
“These measures are in place to ensure they remain productive in case there is a tendency to get too 'comfy' at home,” he said.
Ramanan also said that whether WFH will become a long-term norm is unknown but he felt that productivity ultimately depended on the nature of the job and how effectively tasks are carried out.
“Some roles can be done remotely, while others require a physical presence,” he said.
He added that the current WFH arrangement is also driven by external factors including the ongoing tensions in the Middle East which called for the need to conserve fuel.
Ramanan said by reducing travel, the government can lower petrol and diesel consumption, enabling unutilised fuel subsidies to be redirected towards other needs such as food assistance for those in need.
While it is not mandated, he encouraged the private sector to adopt similar WFH measures.
“Many banks, multinational companies and GLCs have already implemented this," he said, adding that wider adoption would help reduce overall fuel usage.
Meanwhile, Ramanan brushed aside claims by certain parties who questioned his professional qualifications and reiterated that he is a trained engineer.
He said he pursued his studies across three universities in the United States and Australia and received his early education at Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar in Mantin here.
Also present at the meeting were The Star's editor-in-chief Datin Paduka Esther Ng and Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai.
