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PETALING JAYA: A human rights group said that the government’s proposal to grant temporary work visas to undocumented workers must be backed by comprehensive reforms to prevent any exploitation that has occurred in previous legalization programs.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was reported to have said the government was considering granting temporary work permits to illegal immigrants in the country to overcome the shortage of workers in the oil palm and rubber industries.
Glorene Das, executive director of the human rights group Tenaganita, said it was time for the government to come up with a comprehensive plan to ensure that undocumented workers are offered a safe path to legitimacy.
“This commitment must be backed by a well thought out and transparent implementation plan to ensure that migrant workers who wish to apply for temporary work permits can do so without hassle and at no cost to themselves.
“This is a time to work in consultation and engagement with all key stakeholders, so that it can lead to a comprehensive, rational, humane and practical migrant worker policy that can be implemented at all times.”
He said the program should be advertised widely in languages that migrant workers understand and simple enough for workers to request it without the need for agents or intermediaries who can take advantage of them.
Glorene also called for a dedicated hotline to be established to allow reporting of corrupt practices, which he said “seems to be inevitable when amnesties and legalization programs are announced.”
He added that foreign workers must also be adequately protected from Covid-19, with numerous groups spreading within migrant detention centers.
“Migrant workers are an important component of many Malaysian industries, crucial to our economic growth and development.”
