Every contractor hires legal workers – Sabah builders

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Builders Association (SBA) said employers should not be penalised for employing illegal foreign workers, especially in the construction industry.

Its president, Cheong Kwee Min, said in a press statement yesterday that every contractor employs legal workers with valid documents.

He said the issue of verifying valid documents of foreign workers lies with the relevant authorities.

“For instance, we have workers with NRICs that are still being arrested by authorities during a raid. In fact, many of us are employing ‘workers’ with valid documents which to certain authorities later considered as not valid and these documents include NRIC, IMM13 or with certain authorities’ supporting letters,” said Cheong.

According to him, cases of workers in Sabah with questionable documents are so rampant and that the contractors are also victims; thus they should not be blamed or penalised for employing them.

Cheong reckoned that those who should be blamed are those who issued false documents to the workers.

“The issue of security and illegal immigrants in Sabah should be under the responsibility of the national defence and immigration department,” he said.

“So, why should we (the contractors) be blamed.”

On the subject of “legalizing the illegals” as suggested by Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi recently, Cheong said as an industry player, he was not informed by any authority on how the procedure and process of legalizing could take place, and added that he is also eager to know the time and fee involved.

The government should be serious in tackling the illegal and undocumented construction workers in Sabah, adding that the illegal situation in Sabah is unique, he said, adding “SBA welcomes any engagement with the authorities to tackle the issues.”

Ahmad Zahid recently said that employers or agents who were found guilty of protecting illegal foreign workers would be subjected to whipping under the Immigration Act and Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act.

He said the whipping sentence was aimed at dismissing all false allegations against the government, including the accusation that the government was trying to make a profit out of the recruitment process.

The Deputy Prime Minister also announced that the government has decided to stop the recruitment of new foreign workers with immediate effect, except for the domestic help or maid sector.