KUALA LUMPUR (April 22): Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli said he had opposed the extension of the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) operated by Bestinet Sdn Bhd while serving in Cabinet, and challenged the government to declassify the relevant Cabinet meeting minutes.
His remarks came in response to criticism from Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan’s political secretary, Aizuddin Abd Ghaffal, who questioned why Rafizi and several former ministers did not oppose the extension of the FWCMS contract.
The criticism followed objections raised by Rafizi and nine other PKR MPs against a reported proposal to award Bestinet a new government contract to replace FWCMS with a new system known as the Universal Recruitment Advanced Platform (Turap).
In a statement on Wednesday, Rafizi said his objections were formally recorded in Cabinet minutes and official correspondence submitted by the Economy Ministry, contradicting claims that he had remained silent while in government.
The Pandan MP said the proposal to extend Bestinet’s contract was brought by the Home Ministry to the Cabinet around mid-2024, and that he had expressed his disagreement in writing, calling for the proposal to be reviewed.
He said the Economy Ministry’s position was based on several factors, including the existence of the government-owned Integrated Foreign Workers Management System (ePPAx), which had been developed at a cost of RM20 million.
He added that additional funding had also been approved to upgrade the system, while policies such as the Multi-Tier Levy Mechanism (MTLM) had been endorsed to gradually reduce reliance on foreign workers.
“If it is true that I had agreed and did not object as alleged, then Ramanan should obtain the prime minister’s approval to declassify the Cabinet meeting minutes related to FWCMS and Bestinet,” Rafizi said. “If that is done and it is proven that I did not speak up as alleged, it would effectively silence me.”
Rafizi also said his tendency to speak up had gradually led to perceptions that his political influence should be curtailed, which he claimed contributed to internal PKR dynamics that saw him defeated by Nurul Izzah Anwar in the contest for the deputy presidency in last year’s party elections.
He said the FWCMS and Bestinet issue was only one of several matters he had raised internally, adding that it countered claims he had remained silent in government, when in fact he was bound by Cabinet confidentiality and could only express objections through official channels.