AGENCIES ONLY MANAGE 10 PCT OF FOREIGN WORKER INTAKE

JOHOR BAHARU (Malaysia), Aug 13 (Bernama) -- Only 10 per cent of the intake
of foreign workers in the country is managed by foreign worker agencies while
the rest is done through direct applications to the Home Ministry, according to
the Association of Foreign Workers' Suppliers and Management Firms (Tekam).

Its president, Baharum Ghani, said the perception that the agencies
were responsible for flooding the country with foreign workers was incorrect.

"The agencies are always blamed. But what really happened is that of the 2.5
million foreign workers in Malaysia, only 10 per cent were brought in by the
agencies, while the rest through direct approval from the ministry," he told
Bernama here Thursday.

On Wednesday, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was reported as saying that
the ministry would revoke the licences and permits given to foreign workers
agencies found to have breached regulations.

The minister also said the government would not be issuing new licences so
as to curb the influx of foreign workers.

Baharum said that at the moment, industrial sectors like manufacturing,
plantation and construction could submit their applications to hire foreign
workers directly to the ministry, without going through the agencies.

He claimed that these direct applications were actually contributing to the
influx of foreign workers in the country.

"Foreign worker agencies cannot bring foreign workers into the country
without the approval from the ministry," he said.

Meanwhile, Baharum also commended the ministry's decision to continue the
freeze on the intake of foreign workers from Bangladesh as well as putting the
Human Resources Ministry, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry and
the International Trade and Industry Ministry to be in charge of ascertaining
their respective manpower needs.
-- BERNAMA