KOTA KINABALU: Anthony Leong from Good Service (MM2H) Sdn Bhd has been elected as the new president of Persatuan Agensi Pengambilan Pekerjas Asing Sabah (PAPPAS) or Sabah Foreign Worker Recruitment Agents Association.
He received a total of 18 votes in a contest against William Saw from Perkhidmatan Anika Sabah (Tawau) Sdn Bhd who polled a total of 13 votes in the associations annual general meeting held here yesterday.
Leong, who was met after the meeting, said his mission during his two-year term (2015-2017) was to find ways to help resolve issues faced by the associations 55 members.
One of the issues was the recruiting of women to work in plantations, he said.
Foreign women can be hired to work in smallholdings but not in plantations. We therefore appeal to the government to relax this condition and give consideration in a case to case basis as women are needed to do minor jobs like picking up loose fruits, gardening and landscaping in plantations, Leong said.
Leong said he will also work towards strengthening the associations relationship with government departments and agencies like the Chief Ministers Department, Immigration Department and Man Power Department.
This will ensure that the process with regard to application of work passes for foreign workers will be smooth, he said.
I will also set up a WhatsApp group for the associations members and exco so that we will be able to relay information about problems we face. I also want to strengthen the association so that it can help the members, he said.