KUCHING: Skilled workers in Johor and Singapore must obtain certificates to enhance their competitiveness as well as to prevent victimisation in various industries particularly the construction, oil and gas.
Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom said the Iban workers especially are a skillful lot due to hands on experience over the years but because they lacked paper qualifications, they may end up getting less compensation than they should.
Short of saying that the workers might be victimised by circumstances, Mawan said the problem should not have happened if they had been guided by proper welfare groups that were looking into their plight and well-being.
“They are in fact very skillful because of their years of experience but without certificates they ended up getting less. So how can they command good salaries without certificates?” said Mawan when met at his office here yesterday.
Mawan, who is Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president, said he had received feedbacks that some Ibans in Johor had been denied entry to work in Singapore.
Though rumours have it that they might be denied working permits because of some bad apples, the truth is that they were too demanding and lost out to other nationals like the Bangaldeshi, for instance, when it comes to hunting for jobs.
“But they can get the right salary or compensation and the right job with certificates. On top of that, with certificates they can maintained their competitive edge,” Mawan explained.
He also clarified talks that Singapore has put a blanket ban on Iban workers below 35 because of a bad incident last year involving several Ibans is not true.
Although Singapore has the right to reject anyone, like Malaysia, it also wants to maintain good bilateral relationship, he stressed.
“However, we must manage our own people well and discipline them. On their part, they must be responsible and disciplined so that they can carry the good image of the Dayaks not only in Singapore but also beyond the region. The Ibans have been recognised by big oil and gas corporations as hardworking and courageous. They are popular. We must not spoil that image,” he said.
Just because of a few bad apples, that image and/or reputation may be tarnished, he explained while reminding the Dayaks that whatever they do overseas would have a wide implication and far reaching consequences.
“If few are not well behaved, they will implicate the others and this is unfair to those who want to work and reside in Johor. But the problem is manageable,” he said.
He said bilateral relationship between the two countries is still well maintained.
Mawan said he had just came back from Pasir Gudang, Johor to officiate a first ever seminar involving hundreds of Dayak participants and nine Johore government agencies on skills training and sharing of useful information.
“We, the Sarawak Ministry of Social Development and Urbanisation through SPDP Club Johor have started the ball rolling in looking into the welfare and well-being of the Dayak residents in Johor. I would also like to thank the Johor government for their assistance in making the seminar a success,” he said.
The seminar also functioned as the first phase of training session for the Dayaks in Johor, he said, adding with the knowledge that they had obtained at the event, they would now know where to get the right skill certificates and also to enhance their knowledge.
When people are working and getting good pay, they rarely indulge in social ills, Mawan said.