…An ambitious plan by the Anwar Ibrahim government to overhaul the country’s migrant worker recruitment policies, particularly the problem-ridden employment of Bangladesh nationals, is coming under stiff resistance from industry players and segments of civil servants determined to maintain the status quo.

Pushback against the government’s migrant labour reform is coming from privately controlled Bestinet Sdn Bhd, a firm which has strong links to Malaysia’s top politicians and has long been a magnet for controversy, government sources told CNA.

The contention is over plans by the Home Ministry to replace Bestinet’s proprietary IT system that currently manages the movement of foreign labour into Malaysia, which a previous government review had concluded as riddled with abuse and mismanagement.

Bestinet’s contract with the government to operate its so-called Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS)…is set to expire at the end of this month…

The new system features an IT portal that has been under development for the past year and seeks to make the process of foreign labour recruitment cheaper, more transparent and minimise third-party involvement…

Bestinet executives declined comment for this article…

The company declared a net profit of RM85.04 million (US$18 million) in end-2022…

The companies … [given US export bans] included glove manufacturer Top Glove and Supermax, together with plantation giants Sime Darby and FGV Holdings Bhd…