A PROPOSED debate with Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan is not about who is right or wrong but to state facts about forced labour in Malaysia, his opponent said. 

Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy said he wished to know why Saravanan wanted foreign agencies to investigate forced labour when the Malaysian government could easily take on the task.

“Saravanan replied by saying that I don’t understand what his ministry is doing and that he would ‘educate’ me on the steps taken to reduce forced labour,” the Penang DAP deputy chairman said in a statement.

Ramasamy was was referring to political analysts who said the proposed debate must properly address the issue of forced labour in the country and not merely serve as a showpiece event. 

The analysts said the debate, if it happened, must not turn into a sideshow of who represented the Indian community.

Last week, Saravanan, who is the MIC deputy president, accepted the debate challenge from DAP’s Ramasamy following days of bickering over how the forced labour issue was being handled by the ministry.

The call for the debate arose after Saravanan asked the US Embassy and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to investigate and inform the government of instances of forced labour.

Ramasamy said even a discussion about forced labour would help to resolve the problem.

“It is not about scoring political points on who is the leader of the Indian community.

“Anyway, the debate is not about the Indian community, but about phenomenon that seems to affect the exports of goods to the US and maybe the EU.”

He said as the debate had yet to take place, it was unfair to judge whether it would help to raise awareness of forced labour.

“The debate is intended to see what the government is doing about forced labour and whether there is need to rope in the US Embassy or the ILO to resolve the problem.

Ramasamy said the problem could not be eliminated by removing the symptoms as suggested by the ILO.

“Far reaching developmental changes are required.

“(It is) only when the value of labour is appreciated and rewarded that the process of eliminating forced labour is set in motion.” – April 30, 2022.