Charle Santiago
The US Trade Representative’s office has flagged Malaysia for forced labour abuses.
For migrant workers, debt bondage – one of the 11 International Labour Organization forced labour indicators – begins before a worker sets foot in the country. Passport confiscation and wage theft are widespread.
Minister, you need better advisors. And you need them urgently.
On 2 June, the US proposed a 10% tariff on Malaysian goods, citing forced labour violations.
But let’s be clear: the US is no saint on labour rights. It has ratified only two of the 10 fundamental ILO conventions and still allows prison labour. Over a million undocumented workers harvest American crops under constant deportation threats.
It is clear that Washington invokes labour rights when it serves its own interests.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN), Maybank a/c 507246118995 or CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a regular pledge or periodic auto-donation to Aliran
- Become an Aliran member
But the biggest tragedy is that Malaysia has also made itself an easy target by allowing weak enforcement, unethical recruitment, debt bondage and impunity to drag on. Every year of inaction was an invitation.
So the question is not whether the US is hypocritical. Of course it is. The real question is: why has Malaysia left its workers so exposed that hypocrites can weaponise their suffering?
This is a clear example of how governance failures can have geopolitical consequences. Whatever happened to Malaysia’s national action plan on forced labour? Is it dead?
Reform is not complicated. It is just politically uncomfortable for the people profiting from the status quo.
Mandate the employer-pays principle. Make bilateral labour agreements binding and transparent. Blacklist unethical recruiters. Protect whistleblowers.
Eliminating forced labour should be central to any business plan for this country.
We should not wait for a country with its own labour abuses to tell us workers matter. We have ratified the conventions, and we have the legal architecture.
What we don’t have is the political will.
Charles Santiago is the former MP for Klang.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
