KUALA LUMPUR: DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng has disputed the Human Resources Ministry's statement that Malaysia's migrant labour shortage was close to being resolved with the approval for 541,315 foreign workers until Sept 26.
Of the number, 436,613 have paid the levy.
The numbers, said Lim, did not reflect the true situation as several associations had called for the government to resolve the matter swiftly as it hampered the construction sector's recovery.
In a Facebook post, Lim stated that the ministry said it was factoring in the existing 1.3 million foreign workers and with the approved quota, the number had almost met the industry's total demand of 1.8 million for foreign labour.
"Such drama-filled theatrics is to be expected from those who protest too much that they are competent or have no weaknesses or refuse to see the reality on the ground of businesses suffering from manpower shortage.
"The reality is that contractors in the construction industry contradict and dispute the ministry's false claim that the foreign labour shortage has been resolved. The Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM), in a joint press statement on behalf of a group of 10 construction associations, say the continued foreign labour shortage has stifled the industry's recovery, noting that they are facing higher interest rates," he said.
Lim said MBAM urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to intervene in the matter by reverting the foreign worker entry process to the Construction Labour Exchange Centre Bhd (CLAB) to handle foreign workers' issues without the participation of the ministry as this would simplify the entry of foreign workers.
"The ministry has failed to deliver its promise to speed up the employer interview process at the One Stop Centres (OSCs) according to zones and states, or give approvals within a week under the Foreign Workers Centralised Management system," he said.
Lim said nine associations that backed MBAM's call for the replacement and exclusion of the ministry included the Malaysian Bumiputera Contractors Association, the Malaysian Malay Contractors Association, Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia, Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia, Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia and Malaysian Institute of Architects.
"(Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M.) Saravanan's deafening silence on the call by the contractors that the ministry be replaced and excluded from handling foreign worker recruitment cannot cover up the severe foreign labour shortage," said Lim.