HUMAN Resources Minister M. Saravanan said the ministry will present a full report on the entry of foreign workers to the National Recovery Council (NRC) soon to dispel allegations of delays in their entry into the country.

He said the ministry is updating the report based on the work it has carried out.

“Our representative in the National Recovery Council may not have informed about the development (on the entry of foreign workers) to Tan Sri (Muhyiddin Yassin). We will present it to him soon,” he said at a press conference after officiating at the closing of the Central Region Structured Tripartite Dialogue 2022 in Bangi today.

Yesterday, NRC chairman Muhyiddin urged the government to expedite the intake of foreign workers to overcome worker shortage, especially in the micro, small and medium enterprises, besides stating the government’s delay in addressing the matter would affect productivity and slow down the country’s recovery process.

Saravanan said the government has approved the intake quota for foreign workers based on the demands of various sectors and that it is up to the employers to speed up the process at their end.

“The entry of foreign workers must undergo various processes after getting the government’s approval,” he said.

“The Human Resources Ministry has completed nearly all its responsibilities to bring in foreign workers. Now, we just have to identify the source of this delay.”

He said the ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with several source countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia and India.

Meanwhile, he questioned Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham’s request to switch the location of the ministry’s special briefing, which is scheduled to be held on October 5 to answer allegations relating to his failure to address the issues of foreign worker entry and shortage of workers, to parliament.

“I invite them to come and see for themselves what I have done to resolve this problem. It involves the ministry, so come to the ministry. I will show all the evidence that we have here,” he said, adding that the briefing will also be open to media personnel.

The media today reported Ngeh as saying that he was ready to attend the briefing, but wanted it moved to parliament and opened to media personnel. – Bernama, September 28, 2022.