Malaysian govt. accepts Malay Chinese proposal on foreign workers

KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Government has reportedly accepted proposals of Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) to address problems like labour shortage and the strict process of hiring foreign workers faced by small and medium-scale enterprises.

The Star quoted MCA President Dr Chua Soi Lek as saying that during a National Economic Council meeting, he had made the proposal of allowing skilled foreign workers to work in Malaysia longer than the five-year period currently allowed.

“Following a dialogue with the Small and Medium Industries Association, we proposed that industries requiring skilled workers be given the option to apply for their skilled workers to continue working here for another three or five years,” he said.

“I am glad the Government has agreed in principle to the formula proposed by MCA,” Dr Soi Lek added.

The council of 13 members, including the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and four ministers, have taken the decision to incorporate workers who had gained the necessary skills after five years of in-house training or on-the-job experience, Dr Soi Lek added.

He also said that a non-collateralised lending mechanism should be introduced to facilitate SMIs (the Storage Management Initiative) that had good cash projections. (ANI)