A security guard is seen at an apartment in Petaling Jaya January 19, 2018. — Picture by Azneal Ishak

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Nepal has stopped its citizens from seeking work in Malaysia due to alleged discrepancies in the hiring process, exacerbating a shortage of guards for local security firms.

Nepal Embassy labour attaché Sanmaya Ramtel said the Nepali government’s moratorium is indefinite, highlighting a private firm’s alleged monopoly of the screening process before Nepal citizens can enter Malaysia to get a job.

“The Nepali government does not understand why the Malaysian government is allowing a private company to monopolise the recruitment process.

“The government also feels that the company’s presence is a virtual monopoly as other companies are not allowed to carry out the screening and this contributes to higher cost for the workers,” she was quoted as saying by local daily The Star.

Noting that this has been a “long-standing dispute” between the governments of Malaysia and Nepal, she said a change of government in Nepal this February saw “the new government taking a firm stand on the matter”.

She said Malaysia is one of the top two countries for Nepali who want to work abroad, and that Nepal’s Gurkhas are the only migrant workers that Malaysia seeks as security guards.

The Star also reported that Nepal is the second largest supplier of migrant workers to Malaysia, with over 150,000 of the 500,000 working here employed as security guards.

In a separate report by The Star, Security Services Association of Malaysia Datuk Seri Mustapa Ali said Nepal’s freeze had resulted in over 5,000 vacancies for security guards.

He noted Malaysia’s policy where only Nepali may be hired as foreign security guards, also noting the high demand by multinational companies for Nepali guards.

Mustapa said his association’s members have suffered losses as some have had their contracts for the supply of security guards terminated, as they were unable to supply the needed personnel.

Mustapa said the security industry was severely affected, but expressed understanding of the Nepali government’s freeze.

“They feel their workers, who come from poor backgrounds, are being exploited into paying a lot of money to a private company.

“We wish to appeal to the Malaysian government to quickly resolve the issue before the situation turns from bad to worse,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

The freeze comes after recent reports on Bestinet Sdn Bhd that provides biometric screening on migrant workers who want to enter Malaysia, with Nepali Times claiming that the limited number of Nepali medical centres accredited for the screening had caused the direct screening fees to rise from Rs700 to Rs4,500.

Bestinet on July 23 issued a statement to rebut the claims, explaining among other things that the 37 accredited medical centres in Nepal were chosen based on their capabilities, infrastructure and ability to integrate with Malaysian authorities’ systems.

The company also said it only collects RM100 for the bio-medical system approved by the Malaysian government, and that other charges are collected by other service providers.

The Nepali outlet had accused Bestinet of colluding with other agencies and firms to impose various additional fees, which the Malaysian firm denied.

It also alleged that the firm was closely linked to former home minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, which both have also denied.