The Back for Good amnesty programme for irregular immigrants in Malaysia ended on December 31, but the Migrant Workers Right to Redress Coalition still has many concerns about the government’s management of irregular migration. Our coalition opposes the use of “ illegal ” to describe such foreign workers, as it dehumanises them and does an injustice to the process of determining their actual immigration status – a process that all too often involves minimal investigations into how or why they became “irregular” in the first place. The minister for human resources, M. Kulasegaran , has lamented that while applications to employ foreign workers are made via his ministry, final approvals are in the hands of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This complication in roles between the two ministries puts foreign workers in a very precarious situation, increasing their probability of becoming irregular. The failure to adequately protect foreign workers’ rights is also blamed on Malaysia’s lack of labour inspectors. The real question is, how effective and thorough are current labour inspections? In January last year, thousands of foreign workers at a glove factory in Malaysia went on strike to demand unpaid wages. The human resources ministry found that the factory had owed wages since November 2018 – despite an international media exposé in December of that same year. It is not hard to see how foreign workers can abscond into “irregularity” when disputes arise or when they are put into forced labour conditions. Labour shortage fears as Malaysia seeks to cut foreign workers With that, our coalition would like to recommend that Malaysia immediately regularise all irregular migrants and absorb them into the workforce, without using agents and without imposing costs. We also urge that irregular migration be declassified as a criminal offence under immigration laws and that mechanisms are created for it to be resolved administratively. We should also explore a non-detention approach to managing irregular migration and involve the community in reorienting and helping migrants integrate back into their country of origin. This will not only reduce overcrowding in detention centres but also save billions of ringgit. We also urge Malaysia to immediately come up with a comprehensive national policy for foreign workers. Adrian Pereira, on behalf of the Migrant Workers Right to Redress Coalition
