KAJANG: The government is looking at the possibility of using paroled prisoners in work programmes to offset the shortage of foreign workers in certain industries.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said 80 per cent of the 10,000 prison inmates who are expected to undergo the Parole System Programme, Licensed Release of Prisoners Programme and Resident Reintegration Programme will be placed in industries to fill up vacancies left by foreign workers.
The government, he said, would continue to focus on the 7,000 inmates who are currently under the Community Rehabilitation Programme.
"Through the programme, the government has managed to save RM182 million a year.
"Our findings showed that 99.63 per cent of the programme participants have grabbed the opportunity to return the community without repeating the same wrongdoings or going back to prison.
"Nevertheless, the ministry will continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people," he said at the 232rd Prisons Day ceremony here today.
Also present were Hamzah's deputy Datuk Jonathan Yasin, Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz and Prisons Department commissioner general Datuk Nordin Muhammad.
In December last year, the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) said the country has to replenish more than 600,000 foreign workers by 2022 to help the industrial sector, particularly export-based companies, overcome severe manpower shortage.
It said industries would need a massive workforce injection to bring manpower numbers back as industries gradually ramp up production to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels.
A survey by the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia in October last year, spanning 835 companies, showed that there was an overall shortage of 77,721 workers. The findings showed that the manufacturing alone requied 77.1 per cent of manpower followed by the construction sector at 11.2 per cent and other services at 8.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said the Compulsory Attendance Order (CAO) (Amendment) Bill 2021 will be an alternative to imprisonment should the second and third readings are passed in Parliament.
He said the Bill would allow the court to order alternative sentences based on the offences committed.
"These offenders not only can be rehabilitated though the cooperation of government and community but at the same, time they can continue their lives while serving sentences in the community under supervision by the Prisons Department.
"Based on statistics, a total of 6,744 offenders have undergone CAO with a more than 96 per cent compliance rate since 2010," he said.
He said the government would continue to increase the human resource capacity of the Prisons Department to ensure effective system delivery.
"A total of 347 new officers have been appointment to enhance the department's capacity in conducting Community Rehabilitation Programme.
"The Prisons Department will also increase the number of its district parole offices from the existing 52 to 100. This will further extend the rehabilitation programme to even more inmates nationwide.
"Alternative punishments for Syariah offenders are also ready to be implemented by the government," he said.
He added that the Syariah Judiciary Department in cooperation with the Prisons Department has already issued the CAO guidelines to the involved parties.