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PAGOH: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin says Putrajaya is considering issuing temporary work passes to undocumented immigrants already in the country to address the shortage of foreign workers at this time.
Muhyiddin said he was aware that the oil palm and rubber sectors had faced a severe labor shortage.
He added that he had directed the ministries of interior affairs and energy and natural resources to study how to implement this without causing problems later in the future.
“Malaysians don’t want to work (in the agricultural sector). They want to work in places with air conditioning.
“Those who can work are Bangladeshis or Indonesians, but they cannot enter because airports and our borders are closed due to Covid-19.
“Since they cannot enter Malaysia, perhaps we can give them temporary passes, legitimize or forgive them,” he said at an event here today.
Muhyiddin said he did not want this measure to be misinterpreted as it could allow illegal unions to take advantage of bringing more undocumented immigrants into the country.
“They could say, okay, the Prime Minister of Malaysia is a good man, stay a year and you will get a work pass. That is wrong.
“But due to the current difficulties (due to the pandemic), as a temporary measure, let them work for one or two years.
“After that, when it’s over, they can go back (to their home countries). This is all I can say.
“We will first consider the situation and then we will try to implement it.”
