KUALA LUMPUR: The practice of using special applications to admit foreign workers is unhealthy, said Public Accounts Committee chairman Wong Kah Woh.
He said more foreign workers are being approved via these applications than through regular avenues.
He said such approvals are not line with the original purpose of the foreign worker quota application process.
“The existence of middlemen is also causing a problem and a portion of the special approvals were given to foreign workers working in sectors that should prioritise locals.
“PAC also found some user IDs were allegedly stolen and misused to create a fake quota in the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs).
“This clearly shows the system can be easily hacked and the security used is weak,“ he said in a statement today following the latest PAC report on foreign worker control activities under the Home Ministry and Human Resources Ministry.
He added 20 police reports have been lodged since 2017 but until today, it is still marked as pending investigation.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said recently that the ministry was working toward upgrading the Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) to replace the MyIMMs.
He said special approvals should only apply in cases of merit appeal or special national projects.
Wong said the PAC also discovered that permits were issued to workers who failed the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema) inspection.
What was alarming, he said, was that no records were kept on workers who failed the Fomema test being sent back.
He said this opens the possibility of Malaysians being exposed to infectious diseases.
He said PAC has made a few recommendations to the Home Ministry and Human Resources Ministry to improve their systems.
He said one of the recommendations is to create an integrated system to manage foreign workers intake.
He said the two ministries must ensure that all applications for foreign worker quotas are made through regular applications (ePPAx system and MyIMMs).
He said the results of the application must be given in a reasonable period of time.
