Migrant workers enrich our economy by sending home remittance -- but are we doing enough to protect them from exploitation at the hands of agencies monopolizing the business of sending manpower?
Right now, the manpower export syndicate, consisting of 10 recruiting agencies, is monopolizing the business of sending manpower to Malaysia.
Even though an inter-ministerial probe committee was formed to look into this issue, following a High Court directive, regrettably, the committee has failed to produce a report as of yet.
As with any monopoly, the syndicate has driven out competition and propped up the prices to exorbitant rates to a price way outside of the means of a regular aspiring migrant.
At this rate, the mode of social mobility that foreign migration has become could be destroyed, and the benefits of working abroad could become limited to only those who can afford to pay off the syndicate.
This situation is not only troublesome for the customers, it is also bad for the small agents that are outside the monopoly -- they are failing to compete in the market as a result of the syndicate.
If the government cares about the welfare of the aspiring migrants and the small agencies that are trying to make a living it must look into breaking the monopoly.
Sadly, far from actually taking steps to remedy the situation, the government has failed to even produce a probe report that the HC requested.
It is the government’s solemn duty to ensure the welfare of small merchants and regular migrants. As such, we hope that the government will speed up its process, and take steps to break up these syndicates which hurt our migrant workers -- men and women who do so much for our country.
