Entry of migrant workers into Malaysia: No plans to extend May 31 deadline, says home minister
Migrant workers are seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on May 31, 2024. (CNA/Fadza Ishak)
PENANG: The Malaysian government does not plan to extend the May 31 deadline for the entry of migrant workers into the country.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this as he felt the period given by Malaysia was reasonable to manage all migrant worker procedures.
"When we fixed the date (May 31), we factored in all the meaningful processes from the quota approval, health checks, obtaining the visa and arranging flight tickets," he told reporters after attending the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri of Penang Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak's visit to the Seberang Perai Prison on Tuesday (Jun 4).
"Recently, there was a surge of over 20,000 migrant workers over four days (May 28 to 31) into the country, and when we checked, the visa approvals were obtained last November. The issue is why wait till May 31 to bring them (migrant workers) in."
Mr Saifuddin said according to the projected number with the recent trend of more than 20,000 entries, the country will have more than 2.6 million migrant workers by December this year, exceeding the target of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) which is 2.5 million migrant workers.
He explained that the influx of migrant workers has reached the target of migrant manpower requirements for the manufacturing, construction and service sectors while for the plantation and agriculture sectors, the government will process according to the existing quota approvals for now without involving new approvals and based on the cases.
Local media reported that Bangladesh had requested Malaysia to allow nearly 17,000 Bangladeshi workers, who had approved work visas but missed the May 31 deadline, to arrive in Malaysia by extending the entry period.
Bangladesh’s minister of state for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury has called for a special one-off period to allow these workers to enter Malaysia, according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
The workers have approved visas from Malaysia’s immigration department as well as valid cards from Bangladesh’s Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, which were issued after their Malaysian visas were approved, he said.
These workers’ “future depends on getting jobs in Kuala Lumpur”, he added.
Mr Shofiqur will meet with the Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Mdm Haznah Md Hashim, on Jun 5 to discuss the matter, according to news reports.
In another development, Mr Saifuddin said he does not want to interfere in the case of a police escort to a VIP being investigated for the alleged assault of a disabled man but instead handed the case over to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Razarudin Husain.
"It's a matter for the IGP. I will not interfere, it is up to the IGP,” he said.
On May 31, Mr Razarudin said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) would summon the officers involved in the investigation to Bukit Aman to assist in investigations in the near future.
