PUTRAJAYA has in principle agreed to ease the conditions needed to bring in more foreign workers, Hishammuddin Hussein said.

“But there will be new conditions for the ministries to enforce,” said the senior minister (defence) in a press conference in Parliament today.

The Sembrong MP said the matter will be discussed at the cabinet meeting on Friday.

Hishammuddin was responding to various complaints from different sectors about the shortage in foreign workers.

In September, the government agreed to approve 32,000 new foreign workers for the plantation sector only, after freezing the intake of foreign workers due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said he was in favour of amending the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act to raise the fines for businesses caught flouting Covid-19 standard operating procedure.

“The existing fines are too small compared to the profits raked by companies and they are not enough of a deterrent. Companies that make billions can afford to pay RM1,000 fines easily.

“As such, the act should be amended to increase the fines,” said Hishammuddin, who is also in charge of the National Security Council.

Referring to the recent Aspirasi Keluarga Malaysia incident where the organisers were fined RM1,000 for failing to control the crowd properly, Hishammuddin said many had complained that the fine was too low.

“The organisers had promised to control the crowd when they asked for approval but failed. As such, it is unfair to say that the government had failed,” he said.

Hishammuddin added the government did not discriminate whether the organisers were government, private sector or civil society organisations. – December 14, 2021.