PUTRAJAYA needs to act with certainty, clarity and consistency in handling foreign workers to ensure the economy is not further affected, Lim Guan Eng said.

The former finance minister also blamed the human resources minister M. Saravanan for being irresponsible in handling the foreign workers issue, especially for workers from Indonesia.

Lim said Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Hermono calling Malaysia a disgrace was very unusual and claimed that the human resources ministry did little to dispute the matter.

He said that Indonesia had labelled Malaysia a “disgrace” for breaking its promise in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) by continuing to use the Maid Online System (MOS) to recruit workers.

“The MoU was signed just three months ago, and for an ambassador to use such strong language to condemn Malaysia is unusual and it was followed by a temporary freeze on all Indonesian workers entering Malaysia due to the immigration department’s continued use of the MOS to recruit Indonesian maids.

“In a weak response, Saravanan did not dispute the ambassador’s accusations but merely said that the human resources ministry would hold urgent discussions with the home affairs ministry.

“This is highly irresponsible of Saravanan when Malaysia is publicly attacked by another country for breaking its promises,” the DAP chairman said.

Lim also asked if the government would permit the same MOS system to recruit Indonesian workers for other industries to meet workers shortage.

“Can the government state unequivocally that the same Maid Online System (MOS) will be applied to recruit Indonesian foreign workers for other industries to meet the 1.2 million worker shortage and prevent tens of billions of ringgit in losses?” the Bagan MP asked.

Yesterday, Indonesia said it had temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia, including thousands recruited for the plantation sector, citing a breach in a worker recruitment deal signed between the two countries.

The freeze is the latest blow for Malaysia — the world’s second-largest palm oil producer and a key link in the global supply chain — which is facing a shortage of some 1.2 million workers that could derail its economic recovery.

Referring to home minister Hamzah Zainudin’s announcement that the immigration department’s MOS could be used by prospective domestic helpers from all 15 source countries and not just Indonesia, Lim said it raised questions and was confusing.

“In other words, those entering Malaysia on a tourist visa can then convert it to a domestic work visa. This gives rise to questions of whether this facility is available to other foreign workers in the plantation, manufacturing, tourism, and retail sectors.

“This issue raises concerns not just about domestic maids but also about sourcing of foreign workers for all industries.

“The government must realise that the plantation, manufacturing, tourism, and retail sector are forced to reject new orders due to the 1.2 million worker shortage.

“Unless this is clarified and quickly resolved, the plantation and glove industry alone are facing losses of RM21 billion and the damage could run to tens of billions of ringgit if other sectors are included,” he said. – July 14, 2022.