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Sarawak minister: Yes to Burmese, Cambodians For Plantations, Not Bangladeshis Or Indonesians
Sarawak minister: Yes to Burmese, Cambodians For Plantations, Not Bangladeshis Or Indonesians
16/02/2016 (Malay Mail) - Sarawak does not want any Bangladeshis in its plantation sector as they have been found to be unsuitable, state Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said today.
He added that the state was also not keen on hiring Indonesians to work in the sector and preferred to employ nationals from Myanmar or Cambodia instead.
“From studies that my ministry have, they are not fit to work in the plantation sector because they do not have any necessary experiences and skills,” he said.
“Moreover, we found that Bangladesh workers are more fitting to work in other sectors, like in the construction industry,” Masing said when asked whether Sarawak’s plantation sector would take some of the 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers that the federal government planned to bring in to meet the shortage of workers in the country.
He said Sarawak does not have any Bangladeshis working in the plantation sector.
“Instead we are trying to source foreign workers from Myanmar and Cambodia for the plantation sector,” he said, adding that his ministry is conducting a study whether workers from these two countries are suitable work in the oil palm plantations.
“Most of our foreign workers in the plantation sector are Indonesians,” he said, but stressed that his ministry is telling the plantation sector to reduce its dependency on the Indonesian workers.
He said he does not want Sarawak to be a training ground for Indonesians.
“You know, Indonesia is expanding its oil palm plantations which may attract its workers to return home.
“With the necessary skills and training, these workers will be very useful to the new oil palm plantations,” he said, adding that Kalimantan, Indonesia, is a major competitor for Sarawak in the oil palm industry.
There are about 70,000 foreign workers, mostly Indonesians, employed in the plantation sector in Sarawak, out of about 151,000 migrants workers in the state with Valid Pass Temporary Employment as end of last year.
Sarawak has about 1.4 million hectares under oil palm plantation, out of which 1.3 million hectares are developed by the private sector.
He added that the state was also not keen on hiring Indonesians to work in the sector and preferred to employ nationals from Myanmar or Cambodia instead.
“From studies that my ministry have, they are not fit to work in the plantation sector because they do not have any necessary experiences and skills,” he said.
“Moreover, we found that Bangladesh workers are more fitting to work in other sectors, like in the construction industry,” Masing said when asked whether Sarawak’s plantation sector would take some of the 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers that the federal government planned to bring in to meet the shortage of workers in the country.
He said Sarawak does not have any Bangladeshis working in the plantation sector.
“Instead we are trying to source foreign workers from Myanmar and Cambodia for the plantation sector,” he said, adding that his ministry is conducting a study whether workers from these two countries are suitable work in the oil palm plantations.
“Most of our foreign workers in the plantation sector are Indonesians,” he said, but stressed that his ministry is telling the plantation sector to reduce its dependency on the Indonesian workers.
He said he does not want Sarawak to be a training ground for Indonesians.
“You know, Indonesia is expanding its oil palm plantations which may attract its workers to return home.
“With the necessary skills and training, these workers will be very useful to the new oil palm plantations,” he said, adding that Kalimantan, Indonesia, is a major competitor for Sarawak in the oil palm industry.
There are about 70,000 foreign workers, mostly Indonesians, employed in the plantation sector in Sarawak, out of about 151,000 migrants workers in the state with Valid Pass Temporary Employment as end of last year.
Sarawak has about 1.4 million hectares under oil palm plantation, out of which 1.3 million hectares are developed by the private sector.