Home Ministry to give views on Turap when brought to cabinet

The Home Ministry will present its views on the proposed use of a new migrant worker management system, known as The Universal Recruitment Advanced Platform (Turap), when the matter is tabled at the cabinet meeting.

Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said no decision has been made so far and that the ministry will only provide official feedback in that forum.

“When the matter is brought to the cabinet meeting, the Home Ministry will give its views at that time,” he said at a press conference after the contract signing ceremony for the procurement of a second multi-purpose mission ship for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency in Putrajaya today.

He was responding to questions on whether the ministry agrees with the use of Turap, following the government’s plan to replace the Foreign Worker Centralised Management System (FWCMS) with the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe).

On March 27, Malaysiakini reported that the government is considering introducing a new digital system for managing migrant workers, which industry sources say will be known as Turap.

The proposal, sources said, is seen as an effort to improve the foreign labour recruitment ecosystem, which is often linked to issues of high costs and workers’ welfare.

However, some industry players have questioned whether the new system will bring real change or simply add another layer to an already complex landscape involving multiple systems.

At present, migrant worker management largely relies on the FWCMS, operated by Bestinet Sdn Bhd.

Although the system is privately run, as of Dec 31, 2025, the government has paid more than RM381 million to Bestinet to manage 2.35 million passes issued through 11 main modules, including eQuota, the biomedical system, and eRecruitment.

Strong opposition

Last week, the Malaysian Association of Employment Agencies, the Malaysian National Association of Private Employment Agencies, and the Malaysian National Human Resources Association voiced strong opposition to the proposal, claiming it could create a monopoly in the foreign labour recruitment sector.

Earlier, on April 8, they sent an open letter to 11 ministers, including Saifuddin, urging them not to support the implementation of Turap as the sole mandatory channel for foreign worker recruitment.

Malaysiakini has contacted the party proposed as the service provider and is awaiting their response.

Earlier today, the Human Resources Ministry stressed that all proposals related to a digital migrant worker recruitment system are still at the evaluation stage and have not been finalised.

It said there were no commitments, appointments, or agreements made with any party thus far.

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