BANTING: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) should take a more national approach to foreign worker issues and not attack the state government, says Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.
Khalid said the state government’s proposal to collect RM9 monthly from all migrant workers in the state was aimed at setting up a fund to help provide re-training for local unemployed youths so they could land better jobs.
He said foreign workers living and working in Selangor enjoyed all the state's infrastructure, like good schools, health facilities and roads and the state was just calling for them contribute something in return.
Well done: Khalid presenting a certificate to top participant Mohd Shaari Md Lazit during the closing ceremony of the training course at Pulapes in Jugra Friday. —Bernama
“Suaram feels that bringing in foreign workers is one of the solutions to human rights problems but they should understand we have to help our own people, too.
“This is a democracy, so we can open up and discuss the matter,” he told reporters after officiating at the closing ceremony of the training for local authorities' enforcement officers at the Selangor Enforcement Training Centre (Pulapes) in Jugra here yesterday.
On Monday, Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng hit out at the state government's proposal, calling it unjust as foreign workers received low wages and were often exploited by employers or recruitment agencies with non-payment, unjust deduction of salary, long working hours and unfair dismissals.
He added that migrant workers were barely surviving and probably in debt after paying exorbitant fees to come to work in Malaysia.
Khalid meanwhile said the RM4,000 in levy and agency charges migrant workers paid was too large a sum, and the state planned to call on the Federal Government to reduce the amount.
He also proposed that a centralised information system be set up to keep an accurate record of foreign workers in the state.
“I was among the people involved in the corporatisation of the system for foreign workers and I can show ways to keep tabs on even the illegal workers,” he said.
Khalid also said the Federal Government should not cast aside suggestions just because they came from opposition parties and should accept the good ones.
