3 April 2024
On Today Show
— Adrian Pereira, Executive Director of the North South initiative – Improving the Rights and Protection of Foreign Workers in Malaysia
— Julaihie from Lawas – A Decade-Long Struggle: Securing a MyKad for an Indigenous Child
— Norashikin MUDA Sarawak – Protecting Peace: Sarawak's Message Amidst KK Mart Violence
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Adrian Pereira, Pengarah Eksekutif Inisiatif Utara Selatan – Meningkatkan Hak dan Perlindungan Pekerja Asing di Malaysia
— Julaihie dari Lawas – Perjuangan Sepuluh Tahun: Mendapatkan MyKad untuk Seorang Kanak-Kanak Orang Asal
— Norashikin MUDA Sarawak – Melindungi Kedamaian: Mesej Sarawak di Tengah Kekerasan KK Mart
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*Special Randau*
1. Sarawak state assembly meeting from 6 to 15 May 2024. The meeting will be officiated by the new TYT Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
2. Najib claimed the royal pardon granted to him allowed him to serve the remainder of his 6-year sentence at home. Naib made the allegation in a judicial review application filed in the high court on April 1, 2024. In his application - Najib asked the court to order the home minister, the attorney general, the pardon board, the federal government and several respondents to confirm the matter.
3. The case of Sesilia Putri and Wendy Dara in Sarawak is an illustration of the exploitation of foreign labor due to weak law enforcement, corruption and greed of employers/employment agencies.
4. RM3.9 billion contract - supplying and managing the Malaysian government vehicle fleet. The Spanco boss pleaded not guilty to defrauding the MOF. He asked to be heard. Spanco has obtained this contract since 1993 to 2019. But Spanco lost to BERJAYA Group and Naza Sdn.Bhd in the tender scramble. After Muhyiddin Yassin became prime minister in 2020. The tender was handed back to Spanco. Is there corruption and abuse of power? Let the court prove it.
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Andrian Pereira, Executive Director of the North South initiative
*Improving the Rights and Protection of Foreign Workers in Malaysia*
For more than 30 years, Malaysia has depended on foreign labor to meet its workforce needs. In 30 years, Malaysia should have been able to produce a complete, orderly system and comprehensive labor-related laws.
However, the disclosure of the report by the committee related to migrant labor (report issued in 2023) - through the study conducted in 2018-2019 shows that there are still many weaknesses and confusion by some parties.
What happened to Siselia Putri and Wendy Dara is a common case because these foreign workers do not clearly know the right method to come to work in Malaysia and coupled with the greedy attitude of the employment agencies and fake employers and the widespread symptoms of corruption.
The main cause of this problem is incorrect information obtained in the country of origin. Most of the migrant workers who use the services of employment agencies are poorly educated. Some are unable to confirm whether the information obtained is correct or not. There are also those who do not know about the need for work permits, passports, work contracts and human rights. Thus when meeting with greedy employment agencies and fake employers who want to get rich quickly, then there were cases of persecution of migrant workers.
The movement of migrant labor from the country of origin with incomplete documents will cause cases of human smuggling and cases of human trafficking. When arriving in the country where they are supposed to work and be paid the wages as promised. With the weaknesses mentioned earlier they will be exploited easily, although Malaysia has a Private Employment Agency Act, but monitoring and enforcement by the government is very low.
Andrian advised foreign workers who want to work in this country or even Malaysian workers who want to work abroad to check the list of valid employment agencies in their respective embassies and to clearly know the labor rights and human rights in the country they are going to.
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Julaihie from Lawas
*A Decade-Long Struggle: Securing a MyKad for an Indigenous Child*
Julaihie from Lawas shared his joy with RFS after more than 10 years of applying for Mykad for his child, who has been without identification documents until the age of 14. His child had to drop out of school after Year 6 because they couldn't enter secondary school due to lack of identification documents. During school, his child, Mohammed, felt ashamed and inferior for being considered a foreigner despite being indigenous.
During primary school, Julaihie had to pay high fees every year because of their non-citizen status. Julaihie was assisted by Agnes Padan, a social activist, in the struggle to obtain an IC, which was successful under the MADANI government.
After his child, now 14 years old, successfully obtained an IC, Julaihie will report his child's school admission after this year's Hari Raya, which had been postponed for 2 years.
Norashikin MUDA Sarawak
*Protecting Peace: Sarawak's Message Amidst KK Mart Violence*
In a recent development, the society of Sarawak has issued a strong condemnation against the recent wave of violent attacks targeting KK Marts nationwide. The incident about a third Molotov cocktail attack on a KK Mart, this time at an outlet along Jalan Satok in Kuching, Sarawak, on Sunday.
The Sarawak Information chief, Norashikin Baidawi, also expressed firm opposition to these acts of violence, stressing that they have no place in society and must not be tolerated.
She specifically addressed a recent attack on a local KK Mart in Kuching, stating, "The safety and security of businesses and individuals in our community must be upheld and protected at all costs."
Emphasizing the values of peace, tolerance, and mutual respect that underpin their community, Baidawi reiterated MUDA Sarawak's rejection of violence in any form. She called for swift justice for those responsible for these reprehensible act
In a plea for calm and restraint, Baidawi urged the community to refrain from resorting to violence or vigilantism. Instead, she called for unity and peaceful conflict resolution. "As Sarawakians, let us uphold our values of unity, compassion, solidarity, and a commitment to building a better future for all," she concluded.