MP and rights groups ask Saravanan to clarify why and how 25 Bangladeshi agencies allowed to recruit workers for Malaysia were chosen
“They [Bangladeshi recruitment agencies] are saying that these 25 agencies selected are controlled by this one guy called Amin.
(MMO) – An MP and two migrant workers’ rights groups have urged Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan to explain his decision for only allowing 25 Bangladeshi agencies to recruit workers for Malaysia.
Klang MP Charles Santiago said he wanted Saravanan to spell out the reasons for the specific number of agencies and how they would help solve the problem of migrant worker exploitation.
“They [Bangladeshi recruitment agencies] are saying that these 25 agencies selected are controlled by this one guy called Amin.
“It is up to the minister to clarify how these 25 agencies will solve the problem. This issue has been dilly-dallied long enough, and it’s being done at the expense of the people and the country,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail yesterday.
Charles was referring to Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Abdul Nor, who is the founder of Bestinet — the company that provided the Malaysian government with the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) and continues to manage the system.
Bangladeshi-born Amin has been accused multiple times since from at least 2018 of allegedly being behind a syndicate that is said monopolise the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia.
Furthermore, in July 2018, Nepal barred its workers from coming to Malaysia, alleging that it found Bestinet’s practices to be “restrictive” — although Nepal later reversed its decision in September 2019 after a new deal in favour of the workers was struck.
Yet, Saravanan appears to have firmly stood by Amin, with Malaysiakini reporting last week that the minister guaranteed Amin was not involved whatsoever with the recruitment of workers — while Bestinet put out a similar statement in April.
Meanwhile, Beyond Borders president Mahi Ramakrishnan said Saravanan owes it to the public and stakeholders to provide a clarification on how the selection of the 25 recruitment agencies was conducted.
“Are there vested interests? Why are the given agencies selected and not others? Is anyone making huge amounts of money from the selected agents?
