Confusion Over Migrants in Malaysia

There has been some confusion in Malaysia and India this week about conflicting announcements in the media about migrant workers.

Cynthia Gabriel, the regional co-ordinator for CARAM Asia -- a regional network working on migration and health issues -- shed some light on the matter. "The government of Malaysia only froze Bangladeshi workers from coming into Malaysia," she explained.

"They did not freeze workers coming from other countries. The announcement yesterday in the newspapers about Indian workers now being banned from coming into Malaysia was new, a surprise."

Quick denial

The announcement coincided with the visit to Kuala Lumpur of Indian defence minister A.K. Anthony to discuss defence co-operation.

He returned to India saying the Malaysian government had conveyed it wanted to sign a bilateral agreement as soon as possible, regulating employment conditions for Indian nationals in Malaysia and Malaysian nationals in India.

He added that nobody had mentioned there being a ban on Indian workers being recruited.

Cynthia Gabriel from CARAM Asia said the announcement was quickly retracted for fear of exacerbating tension between the two countries: "Within 24 hours, there was a denial that was issued saying there was no such thing."

Vital labour force

Analysts estimate that there are approximately 2.5 million migrant workers in Malaysia and at least half are undocumented, or illegal. They are mainly from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh and India.

Most of them work in the unskilled and semi-skilled sectors, which are flourishing because of the country's fast-growing economy. Because Malaysians are becoming increasingly reluctant to take up basic jobs, migrant workers are needed but they are often subjected to abuse.

Last autumn, the Hindu Rights Action Force in Malaysia led several protests against what it said were discriminatory government policies against the country's minority Indian population -- drawing several thousand participants.

Five leaders of the organisation were arrested in December on the grounds that they were threatening "racial and religious harmony among Malaysia’s Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities". They are awaiting trial.

Rights violations take place both in Malaysia and in the countries where the migrant workers are recruited.

Comprehensive policy needed

Gabriel explained that the problem had been exacerbated by a new policy: "One of the latest problems that cropped up last year was the fact that Bangladeshi workers, who now come under a new policy called the 'outsourcing policy' (where the recruitment of labour for foreign workers is out-sourced to private companies) met with so many problems because there was more demand than supply."

"Workers came into Malaysia without a clear indication of a guaranteed job. Many of them were left stranded either at airports or were kept away in houses or shop lots by employers and were not actually given jobs. There have been many cases of migrants being cheated of their money and of a decent job."

CARAM Asia and other NGOs working with migrant workers have called for a comprehensive policy about migrant recruitment to be put in place by the Malaysian government.

They say ministries should work together to establish clear protection mechanisms for foreign migrant workers both at recruitment level and when they are in employment.