Malaysia
Migrant workers worse off here than back home, say Asian MPs
(From
left) Malaysian member of parliament Charles Santiago; Sabiha Nazir
from the National Assembly of Pakistan; Cambodian member of parliament
Phirum Keo; Malaysia Bar Council member Datuk M. Ramachelvam; and Zakir
Hussain, member of Constitutional Assembly of Nepal, during the
Advisory Committee for Asian Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Labour
Migration held at Petaling Jaya today. – The Malaysian Insider by Afif
Abd Halim, April 16, 2014.
An Asian parliamentary caucus on
labour migration has called on Putrajaya to reveal details of MoUs it
signed with nations who send their citizens to Malaysia for work,
following reports of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers in the
country.
Nepal
MP Zakir Hussain said his embassy officials told him that one Nepali
death was recorded at detention camps in Malaysia every week due to
starvation and limited access to healthcare. – The Malaysian Insider pic
by Afif Abd Halim, April 16, 2014.Nepal MP Zakir Hussain
said his embassy officials told him that one Nepali death was recorded
at detention camps in Malaysia every week due to starvation and limited
access to healthcare.
"A total of 346 Nepalese nationals died here last year, with 52 deaths in detention camps.
"What I don't understand is how Malaysia has adequate laws on migrant
labour but practises low standards of human rights," Zakir said at a
press conference today.
The caucus, which is on a fact-finding mission to Malaysia, also
accused Putrajaya of being a stumbling block to the finalising of the
Asean Framework Instrument on the Protection and Promotion of Human
Rights of Migrant Workers which has been in the works since 2007.
Klang
MP Charles Santiago, a member of the caucus, said there is no reason
for the MOUs signed between Putrajaya and participating countries to be
shrouded in secrecy. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim,
April 16, 2014.Klang MP Charles Santiago, who is a member
of the caucus, said the government has signed MoUs with Bangladesh,
Nepal and Indonesia, among others, but details of these were unknown.
"It appears that those who are familiar with the content of the MoUs
are labour brokers, who use it to manipulate migrant workers. This is
the common complaint among the embassies and workers themselves.
"There is no reason for these MoUs to be shrouded in secrecy," Santiago added.
One of the recommendations of the caucus is for Putrajaya to have a
government-to-government approach in the recruitment of migrant workers
in order to minimise recruitment costs and exploitation by outsourcing
to companies and labour brokers.
The
caucus’s findings said that in addition to violation of labour rights
including poor wages and long working hours, migrant workers in Malaysia
continue to live in poverty, leading Pakistan MP Sabiha Nazir to say
that in some instances, the workers are worse off than they were before
in their country of origin. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd
Halim, April 16, 2014.The caucus also found that in
addition to violation of labour rights including poor wages and long
working hours, migrant workers in Malaysia continue to live in poverty.
"In some instances, they are worse off that they were before in their country of origin," said Pakistan MP Sabiha Nazir.
According to Santiago, the Malaysian Labour Department declined an
invitation from the caucus to attend the three-day meeting which ends
today.
Mariquit
Melgar, a representative from the Philippines, also called on the
Malaysian government to practice fair play, saying that Filipinos
working in Malaysia since the 1970s have contributed to the development
and economy of Malaysia. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim,
April 16, 2014.
Mariquit Melgar, a representative from the
Philippines, also called on the Malaysian government to practice fair
play, saying that Filipinos working in Malaysia since the 1970s have
contributed to the development and economy of Malaysia.
"In a session with our workers last month, they told us that they are
not here to create trouble, and that they are doing their best, working
long hours.
"They are not terrorists, they are not robbers, they just want better
treatment and fair wages, is that too much to ask for?" she said.
In calling for recruitment of migrant workers to be conducted on an
inter-governmental basis, Santiago said this would protect them from
being exploited by outsourcing companies and labour brokers who were
practicing "contract substitution".
"The Pakistan MP revealed that workers from her country had signed
agreements with high wages and wonderful terms in Pakistan, but when
they got here, these outsourcing companies would substitute their
contracts, where they would end up with poor wages and bad living
conditions.
"The MP said that workers she met here yesterday were practically
crying over allegations that they had been cheated by these middlemen,"
Santiago said.
Bar Council's chairperson for migrants and refugees Datuk M.
Ramachelvam said that what was needed was another amnesty programme
following the failure of the previous 6P programme by the government,
which was aimed at regularising undocumented migrant workers.
"In one 6P processing centre in Wangsa Maju, the agent was collecting
about RM2,000 from each migrant worker and there were about 8,000 there
applying, which means the agent collected about RM16 million.
"But not one of them got their documents," he said.
He called on Putrajaya to take charge of both the recruitment and
amnesty programme to prevent migrant workers from being fleeced by third
parties.
The Asian parliamentary caucus representing 15 countries also called on
Putrajaya to practise strong political will in restructuring the
management of migrant workers. – April 16, 2014. - Malaysian Insider, Migrant workers worse off here than back home, say Asian MPs
