Sources claim that the contentious migrant worker system has a new lease

KUALA LUMPUR: Effective today, the government will continue to work with Bestinet Sdn Bhd and employ the contentious Foreign Worker Management System (FWCMS) for a further three years.

The conditions of the contract with the business, which has been more involved in the recruitment of migrants over time, are still unknown.

Malaysiakini was informed by industry insiders that the government will continue to have more authority over the procedures.

As part of this, Bestinet will now only get RM80 per worker instead of RM100.

A government source claims that on May 29, after considering a document put out by the Home Ministry, the cabinet decided to prolong the use of FWCMS.

The two ministries that oversee migrant labourers in the nation will have their respective tasks clearly defined by the renewal.

The industry insider clarified, “The Home Ministry will own the system, while the Human Resources Ministry will be the platform’s end user.”

But when approached, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, the home minister, did not respond to questions.

 

FWCMS Weaknesses

 

The cabinet decision was made in response to the 2022 Auditor-General’s Report, which was released in the previous year and disclosed numerous vulnerabilities in the FWCMS, including instances of conflict of interest and governance and control violations.

Additionally, the auditor general was unable to identify a clear procedure for using the instrument.

The government and Bestinet were unable to reach a consensus after seven years of operation, leaving the government’s rights under the arrangement uncertain.

The unlawful use of Bestinet’s super admin accounts by the Human Resources Ministry and the lack of a formal contract outlining firm obligations were discovered by government auditors.

The Home Ministry’s issue of a letter of approval to develop, produce, provide, and maintain FWCMS for six years, from April 1, 2018, to May 31, this year, was another concerning development in the relationship between Bestinet and the government.

According to the Auditor-General’s Report, 14 modules totaling RM1.049 billion were included in this agreement.

 

PAC discovered problems

 

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) looked into this process after receiving the report.

It might be too late, though, for the PAC investigation’s conclusions to affect the decision to renew.

The committee’s report won’t be presented to Parliament until the august house meets in late June.

Sources claim that the committee’s preliminary conclusions also identified problems with the use of FWCMS and specific important participants.

There had been a compromise in the two ministries’ positions in FWCMS management.

Officials from Bestinet were among those who gave testimony to the PAC.

The government was reportedly under pressure last week to extend the contract with the platform connected to claims of human trafficking, even though Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration intended to reform the system.

The contract with Bestinet to run FWCMS, the only platform the Immigration Department uses for visa applications from 15 labor-sending nations, was supposed to expire yesterday, according to Channel News Asia, which cited government sources and papers sighted.

According to government officials who spoke with CNA, Bestinet, a privately held company with a long history of controversy and close ties to influential politicians, is resisting the government’s push for migrant worker reform.