KUALA LUMPUR (April 25): A new scheme proposed to replace the controversial Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) has been shelved at the last minute by the government, high-placed sources tell The Edge.

It is understood that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim instructed officials to remove the proposal for the Universal Recruitment Advance Platform, or Turap, from the agenda at a Cabinet meeting earlier this month.

The last-minute decision shows that the government is under pressure from politicians and civil society organisations, as they question the role played by the developer of FWCMS, Bestinet Sdn Bhd, in the new scheme.

Bestinet, founded by Bangladesh-born Malaysian businessman Datuk Seri Aminul Islam Abdul Nor, has been linked to allegations of exploitation of Bangladeshi migrant workers through opaque business practices.

Bestinet and Aminul have denied those allegations, although he is wanted by Dhaka to face charges of money laundering and trafficking of migrant workers.

FWCMS has been used for the recruitment of migrant workers to Malaysia since 2018. In 2024, the government decided to extend the usage of FWCMS until 2031, as the new National Integrated Immigration System will only be ready by 2028.

Bestinet claims that the usage of FWCMS does not cost the government anything. However, Malaysia’s reputation is at stake as long as the opaque practices of migrant worker recruitment continue to pervade.

The latest development on the shelving of Turap shows that Bestinet has become a thorn in the flesh of the Anwar administration. Advocates of migrant workers’ rights are demanding reforms to the system, to ensure no workers will be exploited again in the future.

Read about the issue in The Edge Malaysia’s cover story this week.

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.