Two positions, one minister: Malaysia's migrant labour mess just got messier

Charles Santiago

The human resources minister recently told The Star recently that a Bloomberg report on a new migrant recruitment system, Turap, developed by Bestinet, was “unverified and inaccurate”.

By that afternoon, he told the New Straits Times he saw no issues with adopting it.

Two different positions. Same minister, same day. Is this indecisiveness, or something worse?

The minister also claims that the details in Bloomberg’s report were not even known to him.

But it is clear that negotiations are under way. Who is at the table? What are the terms? And is this an open process? A 12-year contract overseeing the movement of millions of workers cannot be negotiated in the dark.

Most importantly, why lock Malaysia into a 12-year contract with a single private vendor? No government should tie the hands of the next three administrations for so long that it effectively prevents reform, review and competition. Whose interests does this timeline serve?

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission must investigate this procurement process.

Parliament’s own Public Accounts Committee has already flagged serious irregularities with Bestinet’s existing FWCMS system. Unauthorised users were approving employer applications, procurement was carried out without proper process, and over RM381m in fees was paid to Bestinet.

Why Bestinet, again? Were there other bids? Was there an open tender? Are there no other competent firms? Awarding a critical national system to the same company already facing scrutiny raises serious questions.

The minister says Bestinet has operated the current system for more than a decade at no cost to the government.

But somebody did pay. According to Bloomberg’s reporting, workers bore the cost, to the tune of billions.

And what is the cost of developing Turap? Who will pay for it? Will it be the government, employers or ultimately the workers again?

Why is the Ministry of Human Resources Ministry suddenly managing the migrant recruitment system when it falls under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs? inistry.

The “employer pays principle”, “direct recruitment” and “AI-driven” are not magic words. This is the same company, driven by the same individuals, rebranding a billion-dollar business model.

The cabinet must reject this. What Malaysia needs is a binding bilateral labour agreement with real legal consequences so that workers stop being exploited, decade after decade.

Charles Santiago is a former MP of Klang.