HUMAN Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan is upset that the US authorities have failed to inform the Government of the instances of forced labour in the country.
He said that his ministry has not uncovered cases of forced labour, so what are the Americans complaining about?
Should the US have relevant information about this matter, it is necessary to inform the Government in order for corrective measures to be taken.
Even Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin was upset that the US was trying to ban products from plantation companied like Felda Global Ventures (FGV) and Sime Darby Plantation, which are two conglomerate plantation giants in the country.
Unlike Saravanan who was more diplomatic and eager to explain the labour situation in the country, Zuraida said that she would aggressively pursue to lift the ban imposed on plantation products.
Both ministers do not have to agree with the US classification of forced labour, but they certainly cannot deny its existence in varying forms in the country especially in sectors that rely on cheap and malleable labour force.
As I have remarked numerous times in the past, forced labour is not an aberration but an endemic aspect of the country’s economy that relies on cheap and subdued labour force.
Forced labour is not something unique to Malaysia; there is forced labour in other developing countries as well.
In fact, forced labour can also be found in advanced industrialised countries such as the US and Europe.
However, its dominance is more marked in the developing countries than the developed ones.
It is strange that Saravanan and Zuraida in their zeal to conceal forced labour in Malaysia are not even mentioning the use of forced labour in the US.
The use of thousands of migrant workers from Latin American countries in farms and other areas in the US is classic example of forced labour.
The migrants work long hours for a pittance and even the US minimum wage might not be applicable to them.
If that is not considered forced labour, then what is it?
I am not sure whether both our ministers really understand why the US is banning the products from plantations as well from other establishments.
Is it really because of forced labour or are there some other reasons that are not being mentioned?
I believe that forced labour might be a moral rationalisation on the part of Americans more than anything else.
The real reason for the ban has something to do with the protection of the domestic industries in the US especially the production of soya bean oil and other products that might face stiff competition from overseas products.
The US – in order to camouflage the real reason behind the ban on Malaysian products – has made good use of the forced labour argument.
Such an argument would give the impression of high labour standards in the US as compared with countries such as Malaysia and others.
If the US uses the actual reason of protectionism to ban products it would not be morally unacceptable.
But unfortunately, both our ministers are more bent on convincing the US of the absence of forced labour than anything else.
Such a move not only denies the obvious, but would not give much credibility to Malaysia in the international arena.
The US’s implicit reasoning on the matter of the ban is simply thus – whether it is forced labour or protectionism, there is nothing Malaysia can do about it.
Since it is Malaysia that badly needs to export to the US, this dictates that the latter must be adhered to. – May 6, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
