THE independent committee on foreign labour has completed its fact-finding mission and drawn up 40 policy recommendations for the government for the management of migrant workers, Human Resource Minister M. Kula Segaran said today.

He said he and the home minister would soon call up the committee members to present their report and recommendations.

The committee was formed on August 29 to coordinate and streamline policies for the management of foreign workers. It is headed by former court of appeal judge Hishamuddin Yunus.

Kula said the the Human Resources Ministry processed the work permit applications while the Home Ministry has the final say on approval.

“Their work is completed. The draft report is ready,” Kula said, without revealing more, after paying a courtesy call on Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg in Kuching today.

He said the committee has drawn up 40-odd recommendations for the two ministries to consider.

The committee, he said, had visited all the states to gather views and feedback.

Kula said the policy on foreign workers since 1990 had been “haphazard” and many guidelines were contradictory.

“Now we have to take a holistic look at all the policies and place them all in one book.”

On the ongoing discussions with several countries to renew expired memorandums of understanding to ensure foreign workers entered the country legally, Kula said Malaysia had yet to sign a new agreement with two major source countries – Indonesia and Bangladesh.

He said Malaysia has already inked new deals with Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam. – December 13, 2018.