PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim said despite being viewed with cynicism, the unity government remains firm in its stance against abuse of power and corrupt practices.

Citing the government’s decision to stop the practice of hiring foreign workers using agents as an example, Anwar said despite objections from a few stakeholders, measures to ensure that the workers involved are not abused will continue.

He said the high cost imposed by agents affects the entry of foreign workers who are critically needed in certain sectors, such as plantations and the food industry, including in restaurants.

“We know that there are parties making high profits by imposing excessive additional costs, and by right, we should be seen as putting efforts to defend workers’ rights and prevent any form of oppression, whether they are local workers or foreign workers.

“We don’t want this to continue. That’s why I am firm in this matter and if there are cynics, I don’t care… my friends and I in the cabinet are determined to elevate the country to become a great nation,” he said.

He said this when launching the Housewives’ Social Security Scheme (SKSSR) and the 2023 MYFutureJobs Career Carnival in Kuala Lumpur today, which was also attended by Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar.

Anwar said without illegal money payments and oppressive corrupt practices, the government’s comprehensive measures saw almost 200,000 foreign workers enter and register as workers in the country.

“This came about after we set foreign workers to be registered without going through an agent, and decided the cost for each of them would be only RM3,700 covering medical costs and other documentation matters,” he said.

He urged industry players, companies and employers to jointly play their role in halting any element of corruption in the operation of their respective companies, in order to achieve the aspirations of a clean and corruption-free Malaysia.

On Wednesday, Anwar was reported to have said that the government wants the Home Ministry to stop using agents for the recruitment of foreign workers, due to the high costs involved.

He added that, for example, the cost for a worker from Nepal is only RM3,700, but for those from Bangladesh and Indonesia, each worker involves a cost between RM20,000 and RM25,000, due to the high fees charged by agents, and described it as ‘modern slavery’. – Bernama, February 11, 2023.