Restructure the inefficient RM19.4 million migrant worker system, the PAC urges
The Integrated Foreign Workers Management System (ePPAx), which cost RM19.39 million to set up, needs to be fixed up and used to its full potential, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
They claimed that the ePPAx had bugs that prevented the minister from using it effectively.
Some important parts that weren’t working were the way it calculated quotas and did basic checks on foreign workers. The PAC said there were also problems with handling the user IDs for the system, which made them worry about security.
“The ministry needs to utilize the ePPAx system to its fullest to avoid squandering public funds.”
According to a study on the ePPAx and the Foreign Workers Centralized Management System (FWCMS), they should make it a top goal to upgrade the systems so that they work even better.
The group also said that the ePPAx system needed to be ready for new policies that affect foreign workers, like the multi-tiered levy system that will start next year.
By digitizing processes and ensuring compliance with the Employment Act of 1955, the ePPAx aims to simplify the hiring and management of foreign workers.
In the past, the PAC claimed that agencies were wasting taxpayer money when they worked on the ePPAx and FWCMS.
The home ministry uses the FWCMS, and the humanity ministry uses the ePPAx.
The PAC also expressed concern over the home ministry renewing Bestinet Sdn Bhd’s agreement to supply IT systems for the FWCMS.
It said the filing fee for each pass for foreign workers had increased to RM215, which is much higher. Over the next six years, it could cost the government RM3.22 billion.
It also said, “The contract terms are too good for the service provider.”
But Malaysiakini reported that Ismail Noor, CEO of Bestinet, said the figures in the PAC’s report were wrong.
The PAC also claimed that unauthorized individuals could access the FWCMS. They said this wasn’t because of hacking but a problem with the platform itself.
“The PAC is very worried about the technical flaws that let people who weren’t supposed to use the FWCMS system do so.”
It also requested improved collaboration between the offices of home affairs and human resources to effectively manage foreign workers.
The PAC stated that improper connection to the ePPAx would hinder the functionality of the new National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe). The NIISe would finally replace the FWCMS.