by Choy NyeN yiau : theedgemalaysia.com
KUALA LUMPUR (July 6): The man- agement of the one-stop centre (OSC) for foreign workers has been placed un- der the Ministry of Human Resources following a Cabinet decision on July 1.
The move is part of government efforts to ensure the governance of foreign worker quota applications is implemented effec- tively and to avoid disruptions to industries dependent on foreign labour, Human Re- sources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan said at a press conference on Monday.
Following the transition, his ministry will roll out a series of digital reforms aimed at streamlining foreign worker quota applications and reducing admin- istrative bottlenecks.
Under the new arrangement, quota applications will be processed through the eQuota module under the Foreign Workers Centralised Management Sys- tem (FWCMS).
Ramanan said the system, which is integrated with existing government da- tabases, will improve processing efficien- cy, reduce congestion at the OSC, and allow employers to schedule structured interview appointments based on the centre’s capacity.
“So there will be no more case-by- case basis.You don’t have to travel from other states to Putrajaya to apply for your foreign worker quota,” he said.
The ministry will begin by processing 22,476 quota applications involving 548 companies that were previously submit- ted manually.
“These applications will now be pro- cessed through the FWCMS platform. We will also notify employers to complete their registration in the system before submitting their applications,” he said.
The FWCMS is the government’s dig- ital platform for managing foreign worker recruitment and is developed by Bestinet Sdn Bhd, a company founded by labour industry figure Datuk Seri Aminul Islam Abdul Nor.
The system has previously faced con-
troversy, including allegations by Bang- ladeshi authorities of “fraudulent extor- tion” involving workers from the country.
Addressing concerns over the transfer, Ramanan stressed that placing the OSC under his ministry does not diminish the Home Ministry’s authority over national security matters.
“If the Home Ministry has security concerns over any application, it retains the power to reject or override approv- als,” he said.
Ramanan also announced that his ministry will establish a dedicated foreign worker management division to oversee OSC policy, operations and enforcement functions.
As part of longer-term reforms, the ministry is studying the introduction of an online document verification system to replace physical counter services at the OSC.
He added that his ministry’s senior management is finalising details of the transition in consultation with the Home Ministry and other relevant agencies.