Commit to improving migrant labour welfare and protections, Malaysian Bar tells Putrajaya

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 — The Malaysian Bar urged the federal government today to acknowledge the contributions of migrant labour to Malaysia by implementing recommendations from the 2019 report of the Independent Committee on the Management for Foreign Workers.

Malaysian Bar president Karen Cheah said Malaysia has a significant migrant labour population who were in need of better legal protections against exploitation, abuse, and xenophobia.

Noting recent changes already adopted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, Cheah said adopting the recommendations would be in line with efforts already made in the same direction.

“On this International Migrants Day, the Malaysian Bar calls on the government to adopt and immediately implement the recommendations from the 2019 report of the Independent Committee on the Management of Foreign Workers that was issued by the Ministry of Human Resources (KSM), namely to revamp the current foreign workers management system and implement a coherent set of policies within a strategic framework.

“Establish a single authority responsible for formulating and implementing such policies relating to migrants, including documented and undocumented foreign workers, expatriates, foreign spouses, and students. Introduce and regulate a central programme for undocumented foreign workers to be managed by KSM and Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Enact legislation to impose or otherwise increase penalties on employers who knowingly employ undocumented foreign workers and establish a proper system to regulate the status and rights of stateless persons, refugees, and asylum seekers.

“We all have a responsibility to protect and ensure that migrants are treated with dignity and afforded basic rights when in Malaysia. It is time to recognise the contributions of migrants to the Malaysian economy and effectively address the many challenges they face,” she said in a statement.

International Migrants Day is celebrated worldwide on December 18 every year, recognising the contributions migrant workers make to society.

In the Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month, Steven Sim was promoted from a deputy finance minister to the minister of human resources, replacing V. Sivakumar who was dropped at the same time.