MP SPEAKS | In advance of the coming “confrontation” between Human Resources Minister M Saravanan and I, along with DAP MPs M Kulasegaran and Ngeh Koo Ham on Oct 5 over the government’s failure to address the severe migrant labour shortage, the Human Resources Ministry (MOHR) has suddenly made an announcement.

It has approved 541,315 foreign workers until Sept 26, of which 436,613 have already paid the levy.

The ministry said taking into account the existing 1.3 million foreign workers and the approved quota, the number has almost met the industry’s total demand of 1.8 million for foreign labour.

Such drama-filled theatrics is to be expected from those who protest too much that they are competent or have no weaknesses or refuse to see the reality on the ground of businesses suffering from manpower shortage.

The reality is that the contractors in the entire construction industry contradict and dispute the Human Resources Ministry’s false claim that the foreign labour shortage has been resolved.

Shortage stifling recovery

A joint press statement by Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM), on behalf of 10 construction associations, said that the continued foreign labour shortage has stifled the recovery of the construction industry, noting that they are facing higher interest rates.

MBAM urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to intervene in reverting the foreign worker entry process to the Construction Labour Exchange Centre Bhd (CLAB) to handle foreign workers’ issues without the participation of the Human Resources Ministry to simplify the entry of foreign workers immediately.

“Queuing in person at the ministry to get quota applications for foreign workers should be a thing of the past. The lack of action to really solve this problem is appalling,” it said.

Clearly, the ministry has failed to deliver its promise to speed up the employer interview process at One Stop Centres (OSCs) according to zones and states, or give approvals within one week under the Foreign Workers Centralised Management system (FWCMS).

CLAB is an organisation established in July 2002 by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to bring in and redistribute foreign workers for companies and organisations in Malaysia.

The other nine associations supporting MBAM’s call for the replacement and exclusion of the Human Resources Ministry from handling foreign workers are Persatuan Kontraktor Bumiputera Malaysia, Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia, Gabungan Kontraktor Bumiputera Wibawa Malaysia, Persatuan Kontraktor India Malaysia, Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia, Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia, Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia, Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia and the Malaysian Institute of Planners.

Saravanan’s deafening silence on the call by contractors in the construction sector that the Human Resources Ministry be replaced and excluded from handling foreign workers, cannot cover up the severe foreign labour shortage in Malaysia.

LIM GUAN ENG is Bagan MP and former finance minister.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.