PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will carefully study the proposed return of the process of recruiting foreign workers, currently under its purview, to the Human Resource (HR) Ministry, according to Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pix).
He said the proposal required in-depth study as the recruitment of foreign workers also involved their entry into Malaysia, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Immigration Department.
“What we should know is that each foreigner coming into this country to work or travel should go through the entry points into Malaysia first and the process is subject to the existing policy and law under the Immigration Department.
“Those who enter will only be bound by the law or act related to employment under the Human Resource Ministry after getting their work permit and starting work,“ he told a news conference after attending the Immigration Day 2019 event, here today. Also present was Immigration director-general, Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
Muhyiddin said the Home Ministry, through the Immigration Department, still had the authority to take action against workers who broke the law under the department like having an expired work permit or exceeding the period of employment set in the work permit.
“Hence, the Home Ministry needs more time to study and consider various aspects such as whether it is apt or not to accept the proposal made by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),” he added.
MACC Chief Commissioner Latheefa Koya had on Wednesday, reportedly suggested that the process of recruiting foreign workers, currently undertaken by the Home Ministry, be returned to the Human Resource Ministry so as to improve the system as the latter knew better the number of jobs available for foreign workers, apart from combating corruption.
Earlier, Muhyiddin in his speech said that any party harbouring and hiring illegals would face stern action.
He also noted that the Immigration Department, in curbing the influx of foreign workers, managed to arrest 47,142 migrants from various countries up to Nov 30, this year in 16,011 operations involving checks on 184,556 foreigners.
Meanwhile, 1,180 employers were detained, with 892 of them charged in court, he added.
At today’s event, Muhyiddin also launched a new online system, ePLKS@JIM, for renewal of the Temporary Foreign Worker Permit (PLKS).
The system will take effect on Jan 1, next year without the applicant having to go through an intermediary or vendor. - Bernama
