Media Statement by Teresa Kok, DAP National Vice Chairperson and MP for Seputeh in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, April 30, 2015
With abolition of RM 35 service for online worker permit renewals from May 2, MyEG must refund employers who have paid such fees since January 5
With the announcement by Immigration Director General Dato Mustafa Hj Ibrahim that effective May 2, the government will absorb the RM 35 service fee imposed by MyEG for online worker permit renewal, MyEG must refund such fess that it has collected from employers since Jan 5, 2015.
The decision by the government to finally absorb the service charge due to massive criticisms shows that the employers’ objections were justified. It also shows the mistake of the government of not having prior dialogues with the stakeholders before outsourcing the service.
Even if the government did not seek prior views from the employers, it ought to have known that for MyEG to impose the extra service charge on top of the RM 125 processing fee which employers have to pay is unreasonable, exorbitant and unacceptable.
On March 24 , I had via a parliamentary question asked the Home Minister to state the number of worker permit renewal applications received by Immigration counters and MyEG for the period February 5, 2015 to February 28, 2015. The Home Minister replied that 35, 281 applications were made by Immigration counters but he did not reveal how many applications were received by MyEG.
The government decided to reopen the counters until Feb 28 due to public backlash against the counters’ closure on Jan 5. The feb 28deadline was later further extended.
Although the government’s decision to absorb the service fee has removed one of the main grouses of employers, there are basic questions that the government should satisfactorily explain to the public.
With a registered foreign worker population numbering 2.1 million in October last year, MyEG stands to receive an annual and guaranteed income of RM 73.5 million from the service fees collected if there is monopoly , mandatory online renewals by MyEG.
So the question is why should government outsource such service? Why cannot Immigration department implements the online system itself?
Even if the government is adamant about outsourcing the service, why has it allowed monopoly by MyEG?
On April 8 this year, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Wan Jaafar said that Putrajaya was looking into setting up an agency under the Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu) to manage the renewal of foreign workers’ permits and break the monopoly held by MyEG Services Bhd.
Will Home Minister tell the employers when will this new agency be set up?