Malaysian agent Thseelaan lobbies for implementation of agreement signed with Labour Ministry

KATHMANDU: An agent from Malaysia has come to Kathmandu and started lobbying for the implementation of the agreement, which the Foreign Ministry of Nepal had described as illegal and violated the jurisdiction.

Earlier, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had also stopped the controversial agreement signed by the Labour Ministry and Foreign Employment Board with a private company of Malaysia to work for the welfare and safety of the Nepali workers from implementation.

But still the company has been found using the logo of the Nepal government illegally.

In the meantime, the Managing Director of Foreign Workers Welfare Management Centre, the ‘fraud company’ which has opened its office close to the Malaysia-based Nepali Embassy, Seelaan Thseelaan has started lobbying for the implementation of the agreement by coming to Kathmandu.

Claiming that he has persuaded the Malaysian government and has a personal relationship with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Thseelaan has been trying to influence the high-ranking officials of the Nepal government saying that the Malaysian government is ready to implement the agreement, according to a source.

Prime Minister Dahal has already directed the concerned authority not to implement the agreement signed with the company.

An agreement signed with a private company of Malaysia with an aim to collect Rs 1.20 billion has been in controversy.

Saying that the Malaysian government is positive on the same, Thseelaan has been lobbying for the implementation of the agreement saying that he would talk with the Malaysian Prime Minister and Home Minister, the source informed.

Though Prime Minister Dahal has stopped the implementation of agreement inked by Foreign Employment Board Executive Director Dwarika Upreti and Foreign Workers Welfare Management Centre of Malaysia, claiming it as illegal, the agents of that company have started meeting officials of the Nepal government saying that they would cajole the Malaysian government.

Manpower businessmen Amit Shrestha and Bijay Manandhar are also said to be involved in mounting pressure on the Nepal government officials for the implementation of the agreement.

The agreement which includes all the work from the collection of the personal details of the workers under the guise of doing welfare work was said to come into implementation from January 1.

Though the agreement states that the amount will be borne by the employer, it is certain that the employees have to pay the amount.

According to last year’s data, 200, 000 workers had left Nepal for Malaysia. This is 43 percent of the total foreign employment.

This is nothing but a grand design to cough up Rs 1. 20 billion from the 200, 000 workers and to distribute among the minister, Malaysian company and middlemen.

The Embassy will authenticate the paper only after submitting the receipt of payment of USD 45 i. e 200 Ringit.

Writing a seven-point comment, the Foreign Ministry said that the Labour Ministry through the Foreign Employment Board signed the agreement by going beyond the constitutional boundary.

The Foreign Ministry had sent the file back saying that the agreement could not be implemented after a question of authenticity was raised over the deal.

In the seven-point comment signed by Under Secretary Hari Kanta Paudel, a question has also been raised over taking USD 45 per worker.

The Foreign Ministry has raised the question of authenticity saying that the contract was given to a private company without open competition and without holding consultations with the ministry and mission.

The ministry clarified that the personal details of the Nepali workers cannot be given to any foreign private company.