KUALA LUMPUR: The government's decision to terminate the services of agencies that handle visa applications for Bangladeshi migrant workers has been lauded.
However, Small and Medium Enterprises Association chairman Datuk William Ng, who welcomed the move, said the government should go a step further and eliminate all middlemen from the foreign worker recruitment process.
"The issue of migrant workers is a long-standing one, and we have continued to see workers arriving on our shores already deep in debt, due to among others, fees paid to middlemen."
He said eliminating middlemen would help streamline recruitment processes, reduce the financial burden on employers, and curb human trafficking.
Earlier today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government will terminate the services of agencies that handle visa applications for Bangladeshi workers.
He said this was because worker visas could be directly applied for through the Immigration Department's MyVisa portal.
North South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said there is still uncertainty about the implications of the move for migrant workers.
He said there is a need for the government to provide clarity on why the ad hoc decision solely applies to Bangladeshi workers.
Meanwhile, Pereira said the government needs to look at streamlining communication and the management of foreign worker recruitment under the Human Resources Ministry.
"There should be some clarity on this, in addition to a unified government-to-government (G2G) recruitment system for all nationalities.
