KATHMANDU– Prime Minister Balendra Shah held a telephone conversation with his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim on Monday, discussing ways to make foreign employment between Nepal and Malaysia more dignified, transparent and free from exploitation.
During the conversation, PM Shah raised concerns over syndicates and intermediaries in Malaysia’s foreign employment sector, saying such practices were unacceptable to his government and had adversely affected Nepali workers, according to Deepa Dahal, the Prime Minister’s Press and Research Expert.
“We despise syndicates and intermediaries, and such practices are unacceptable under any circumstances. They have adversely affected workers,” Shah told his Malaysian counterpart.
Shah urged both countries to make joint efforts to find a permanent solution to the issue. He also called on the labour ministers of the two countries to hold direct talks and take necessary measures to resolve the problem.
“Therefore, I urge the labour ministers of both countries to hold direct talks and take necessary steps to resolve this issue once and for all,” Dahal quoted Shah as saying.
In response, Malaysian PM Ibrahim expressed support for Shah’s concerns and said he was also opposed to syndicates and intermediary practices in the foreign employment sector.
“I am also completely against such wrongful and exploitative practices. I will immediately instruct our Labour Minister to discuss the matter with his Nepali counterpart and find a concrete solution,” Ibrahim was quoted as telling Shah.
Ibrahim also committed to instructing Malaysia’s Labour Minister to coordinate with the Nepali counterpart and work toward a concrete solution to the issue.