Tengku Muda Pahang resigns as Bestinet director

Tengku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is Tengku Muda of Pahang, has resigned from his position as a director of Bestinet Sdn Bhd, 16 months after assuming the role last June.

Checks on the Companies Commission (CCM) database revealed that he is no longer listed as the company director, but he retains 6.5 percent of shares in the company, which runs the controversial Foreign Worker Central Management System (FWCMS).

According to a letter dated Oct 3 from Tengku Abdul Rahman’s (above) lawyer to Bestinet, sighted by Malaysiakini, he had resigned with immediate effect.

The resignation letter did not specify any reason for Tengku Abdul Rahman’s decision.

When contacted, Tengku Abdul Rahman’s lawyer K Santhara declined to comment on the reason behind his sudden departure as he is not authorised by his client to speak to the media on the matter.

Bestinet CEO Ismail Mohd Noor and Abdullah Sher Kawi Jaafar, a celebrity motivational speaker and counsellor who appeared on reality show Akademi Fantasia, remain as the company’s directors.

Malaysiakini has contacted Bestinet for comment.

Tengku Abdul Rahman had taken over as chairperson from the company’s founder, Aminul Islam Abdul Nor, last June.

It remains unclear whether his resignation also applies to his role as chairperson, and Ismail has not responded to Malaysiakini queries. 

CCM records indicate that Abdullah Sher Kawi holds a controlling stake of 93.45 percent in Bestinet, while Aminul retains a minimal stake of less than one percent with 50 shares. 

Red-flagged by PAC

The company came under the spotlight after it was found that it had operated the lucrative system without a proper agreement with the government.

Migrant workers must go through FWCMS to enter Malaysia, and Bestinet collects a processing fee of RM100 each from workers.

According to its 2022 accounts, tabled to the CCM in June last year, Bestinet retained earnings of RM128 million and made RM85 million in profits out of RM138.92 million in revenue in the financial year ending Dec 31, 2022.

However, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in July found that despite making a lot of money from the FWCMS, there was no contract signed between the government and Bestinet.

There was, however, a letter of acceptance for the development of the FWCMS system on Jan 12, 2018.

“This means that the government/Home Ministry has used the FWCMS system for approximately six years without a finalised contract, clearly violating the regulations set by the government,” the PAC said in a statement.

In June, the cabinet agreed to extend Bestinet’s contract for another three years, but with improvements in governance.

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