Activist calls for HR ministry to oversee foreign worker recruitment

2026-03-07 - 00:43

The human resource ministry recently announced it was developing a direct hiring system for foreign workers in a bid to end exploitation, including debt bondage and other modern slavery elements. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: A migrant rights activist is urging the government to place foreign worker recruitment under the human resources ministry, to reduce the potential for conflicts of interest. Adrian Pereira. North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said the current system — which puts the home ministry in charge of a one-stop centre (OSC) that manages employer applications — is “problematic”. He noted that the OSC system has long been plagued by allegations of misconduct, particularly in its handling of probes into allegations of abuse, including human trafficking. Pereira said the home ministry — which oversees the police and immigration department — is unlikely to investigate allegations of abuse, as the two enforcement agencies fall under its purview. “They won’t probe. Ninety-nine percent not,” he said, adding that even if investigations were carried out, a conflict of interest would inevitably arise. “To avoid this, there must be a separation of powers, so to speak. (Let) the human resources ministry be in charge of the OSC managing the intake of foreign workers,” he told FMT. Pereira said that the government, under then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, had previously agreed to place the OSC under the human resources ministry. He was commenting on the human resources ministry’s recent announcement that it was in the midst of developing a direct hiring system for foreign workers — aimed at eliminating third-party recruitment agents in a bid to end exploitation, including debt bondage and other modern slavery elements. Charles Santiago. DAP’s Charles Santiago, however, argued that a special unit under the Prime Minister’s Office would be better suited to manage foreign worker recruitment. The former Klang MP proposed that the unit be chaired by a senior judge or a senior government officer capable of managing the recruitment process impartially. Santiago, who has been vocal on migrant worker issues, mooted the idea in 2023, citing corruption within both the home and the human resources ministries. He cited the foreign worker quota system as an example. He said that under the current arrangement, the human resources ministry reviews and approves applications by companies for foreign workers, while the home ministry issues the work permits. “But this system has been abused repeatedly at the expense of migrant workers and companies, since these firms are also paying lots of under table money to secure the workers as soon as possible.” Santiago also suggested that the recruitment process be digitalised and made public. “If there’s a vacancy, everyone can see it and apply, just like how Qatar has been doing it,” he said.