The Malaysian government has started action for finding a long-term solution to its labour problem with Nepal.

 

After Nepal stopped sending workers to the peninsula, a special team from the Malaysian government was here to take stock of the situation.

 

Two envoys, sent by Malaysian Human Resource Minister M Kulasegaran, met with Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista in Kathmandu last week. According to a high-level source at the Labour Ministry, the team discussed at length reasons behind the halt in worker departures.

 

“The envoys wanted to know what the Nepal government wants for resolving the crisis, and take the message back,” said a source. Nepal has barred its citizens from going to Malaysia after it closed down the agencies that fleeced Malaysia-bound workers on various pretexts.

 

As a result of the crackdown, departures of Nepali workers to Malaysia have stopped since the third week of May.The move has affected the industrial sector in Malaysia, a country heavily dependent on foreign workers.

 

After media reports exposed a multi-million scam that for years exploited Nepali workers financially through a new hiring and visa processing system, Malaysia had expressed interest in solving the problems facing Nepali workers.

 

“They must have decided to make a visit and look into the matter themselves after they came to know that Nepali workers were cheated through a sophisticated system,” said an official.

  

According to the source, the Malaysian side wanted to assess the situation on the ground and see what had caused the Nepal government to stop its citizens from going to Malaysia, the most popular destination for Nepali migrant workers.

 

Minister Kulasegaran had also requested the Nepal government to relax its ban on Nepali workers going to Malaysia while looking for a way out.

 

The Malaysian minister had told local media that they would devise a new mechanism in which middleman would not be able to cheat workers.

 

The visiting Malaysian team also informed Minister Bista that Malaysia had started working on a policy

 

that would relieve Nepali workers of additional financial burden.

 

Minister Bista stressed the need for the government-to-government (G2G) modality which would protect Nepali workers from fraud and ensure their rights and safety.

 

Nepal has invited the Malaysian human resource minister to discuss the issue.