YOURSAY | ‘It has enabled excessive fees, weak oversight, and reduced accountability.’

Stop outsourcing govt functions, says MP over new migrant workers hiring system

Exile: One cannot agree more with Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung in criticising the government’s continued reliance on outsourcing the recruitment of migrant workers to private companies.

It is a flawed approach that has too often enabled excessive fees, weak oversight, and reduced accountability.

Recruitment should never have been ceded to profit-driven intermediaries in the first place, as this creates incentives that are fundamentally misaligned with worker welfare.

Employers, as the direct beneficiaries of labour, must instead be made legally responsible and accountable for recruitment and employment practices.

This ensures clearer lines of responsibility and reduces opportunities for abuse.

At the same time, the government must be firmly established as responsible for ensuring that the system operates fairly and effectively, through strict regulation, monitoring, and enforcement.

Ultimately, reform should aim toward a labour system in which there is no distinction between Malaysian and migrant workers, where equal treatment, protections, and opportunities are guaranteed in both law and practice.

Bobby0: It is sickening to see the way the government handles taxpayers’ hard-earned money. The civil service is overbloated with staff, but the government continues outsourcing some services to the private sector. Why?

Is the civil service incompetent, or is it more profitable for certain politicians to outsource these services?

It looks like a return to the time when Umno was in power. Billions of ringgit were wasted, mismanaged, and lost due to corrupt activities.

Nothing has changed since the Madani government has been in power. We only see handouts and subsidies to cover the inability to solve national problems or rein in partners abusing public funds.

“Cash is king” appears to remain the strategy popularised by former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

How can we hand sensitive national and personal data to foreign parties? Are local IT experts incapable, or is there something more behind the awarding of projects to Bestinet?

If politicians, civil servants, and proxies stand to profit, then they are betraying the nation. They should be voted out at all costs.

It is a shame that MPs only offer advice but fail to act, preferring to hold on to lucrative positions rather than defend the nation and its people.

Limfly: It is heartening to see government MPs like Lee raising questions about government initiatives. Being part of the government does not mean blindly toeing the line.

MPs should question and challenge proposals that go against the interests of the nation and the rakyat.

It would be useful if Malaysiakini compared issues raised by government MPs versus opposition MPs - not just in quantity, but in sincerity and depth of research.

Ideally, a 50:50 balance would indicate both sides are doing their job. Ultimately, MPs are elected to be the voice of the rakyat.

World Citizen: This is a good question from a government MP. Even PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar has been making statements, even if working behind the scenes. But where is the outrage from opposition MPs? Are they also benefiting from this system?

Critics have long argued that the civil service is overly staffed. Migrant worker recruitment should be handled directly by government bureaucrats instead of private companies. Don’t let corruption take place, with taxpayers’ money siphoned off rather than used for public benefit.

Malaysians must stand up against this blatant corruption.

Pink Jaguar7289: Malaysia has often been described as having one of the highest numbers of civil servants per capita in the world. Numerous government-run services have been privatised, which critics say favoured politically connected firms.

This enriches corrupt politicians while weakening national finances and perpetuating exploitative migrant labour systems.

There were hopes that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would bring change, but after three years, it appears he may be part of the same old system. Will Malaysia improve, or will reformists be pushed out of parties like PKR?

EmEmKay: The Bestinet issue has long raised red flags as a crony-linked entity.

The sudden removal of DAP’s Steven Sim as human resources minister and his replacement with PKR’s R Ramanan appears less like a routine reshuffle and more like politics and business at play.

This sends a troubling signal that vested interests may be prioritised over transparency and good governance.

ProMalaysia: Many government agencies, especially revenue-generating ones, have been privatised.

This benefits the few while draining national resources and perpetuating exploitative systems in migrant worker recruitment.

There were expectations that the current administration would bring reform, but after several years, it appears that entrenched practices persist. Will Malaysia change for the better, or will those who push for reform be sidelined?

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