Malaysian cabinet to discuss issue of Nepali workers

KUALA LUMPUR, July 31: The Home Ministry of Malaysia will brief the Cabinet on Friday (Aug 3) over the Nepalese government’s decision to bar its workers from coming to Malaysia.

The Malaysian Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran said that the briefing will also include steps to resolve the issue for a “win-win” situation for both nations.

“We are aware of the problems faced by Nepali workers wishing to work here, which stemmed from discrepancies with regards to the one-stop agency which was outsourced to handle screening of foreign workers,” he said when answering a question raised by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) during Minister’s Question Time in Parliament on Tuesday (July 31).

He said that authorities in Nepal are currently investigating the case, including money laundering.

Asked if the freeze on Nepali workers would affect the securities industry, Kulasegaran said that it would not have a major impact.

He noted that 24,428 Nepali workers were employed as security guards out of the total 138,304 security guards.

The Star reported that the government of Nepal barred its workers from coming to Malaysia with immediate effect because it was unhappy with “restrictive” Malaysian immigration requirements for its workers before they can be employed.

This includes going through a private company “monopoly” for security and medical check-ups as part of the visa requirement.

Bestinet Sdn Bhd is the sole party that carries out bio-medical screening for migrant workers entering Malaysia. Agencies