Zahid asked to explain ‘special approvals’

FORMER home minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi must explain why over half a million “special approvals” were issued between 2016 and 2018 to admit foreign workers into the country.

Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera) said Ahmad Zahid should state why he gave the special approval power to mediators instead of going through the regular process.

“What is the justification for giving 55% special approvals and only 45% were normal approvals?” he told a press conference in Parliament.

The recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report revealed that out of 928,825 approvals given for the entry of foreign workers, 512,315 were through “special approvals”.

PAC also revealed that a number of the special approvals were given via middlemen to foreign workers despite many of them having failed the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema) inspection.

It said five out of the 10 middlemen identified were politicians.

Wong urged the auditor-general to reveal the names of all mediators because the names mentioned were only the tip of the iceberg on the intake of foreign workers in “2018 Series 1”.

He pointed out that five people’s representatives were mentioned in the PAC report, which is a public document published by Parliament.

They are former Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, Tan Sri Noh Omar (BN-Tanjung Karang), Datuk Masir Kujat (GPSSri Aman), Kok Lanas assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohd Alwi Che Ahmad and Sungai Dua assemblyman Muhammad Yusof Mohd Nor.

Wong urged all five to provide explanation on their involvement in the special approvals for foreign workers.

Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka), who was also present, called on Noh Omar to provide an immediate explanation on his involvement in the matter.