Workers’ representatives should be treated with dignity

LETTER | The recent statement by the Minister of Human Resources, M Kulasegaran, in describing the secretary-general of the MTUC in vile terms needs to be examined by the Malaysian public.

The issue arose out of a statement made by J Solomon (above), concerning the report that Malaysia would hire 100,000 to 150,000 security guards from Pakistan. Solomon, as any trade union leader should do, rightly raised the issue, as the foreign worker situation in the country has been controversial from a human rights perspective for decades. 

There is the matter of the exploitation of the foreign workers themselves, hiring of undocumented workers by employers, and the downstream consequence of the depression of wage levels.

Kulasegaran’s response and reaction is rather mystifying. He, and the cabinet for that matter, could perhaps educate the public in terms of how they are operating. Is it really the case that a member of the cabinet cannot relate to another member of the cabinet when there is an issue that overlaps two ministries? 

If Kulasegaran were right, it would mean that the ministers and their ministries are operating in silos and the right hand of the government does not know what the left hand is about?

Another part of the education or re-education process where the public is concerned is the matter of the collective responsibility of the cabinet, a fundamental underpinning of Malaysia’s political system and governance mechanism. 

Is it now the case that the cabinet is shying away from being collectively responsible? What then is the purpose of the cabinet in itself when technocrats can be hired instead to run the various ministries?

Also agonisingly frustrating is the lack of respect shown by the government towards civil society leaders and organisations. It is clear that the present government is uninterested in fulfilling its promise to establish a vibrant democracy. If the merits are ignored and the airing of dissenting views is taken personally, we are fast sliding into a dictatorship.

It cannot be difficult for Kulasegaran to discuss with his colleagues in the cabinet to come up with a response to the matter at hand. Hiding behind a process or the bureaucracy is not an answer and will never provide a solution. It is a cop-out position.

It is becoming obvious that the Pakatan Harapan government would prefer supplicants in civil society organisations. Even if there is another trade union leader who raises issues that over time proves to be inconvenient to the government, the public can expect the same type of “educated” response.

It seems to be the case that the government either can’t respond and deal with the merits of the matter or quiver every time an issue is raised by the MTUC. It is probably a case of both.

Harapan coming to power was not a small matter. It was a revolution of sorts, and it was achieved through the most legitimate of means – through the ballot box. The rakyat made it happen, and it is not that the Harapan leaders have done the people a favour.

The cabinet should take collective responsibility on matters and educate itself on how to function as a branch of the government. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.