Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap said the Sarawak Foreign Workers Transformation Approach (FWTA) should strike a balance between protecting Sarawak\u2019s immigration autonomy and ensuring the sustainability of businesses operating in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yap said the FWTA reflects Sarawak\u2019s constitutional rights and immigration autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), allowing the state to retain control over workforce planning and labour requirements in key sectors such as construction, timber, plantations, manufacturing and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny discussion on FWTA must recognise the importance of preserving Sarawak\u2019s authority over matters that directly affect our economic development,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, he stressed that autonomy must be accompanied by responsiveness to concerns raised by industry players, contractors, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and business associations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Yap, while stakeholders acknowledged improvements in processing times under the FWTA system, concerns have been raised over compliance costs, annual renewal expenses and additional administrative charges, including those related to medical screenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBusinesses are not opposing Sarawak\u2019s autonomy. They are seeking a system that remains efficient, transparent and affordable,\u201d he said.
Yap suggested several measures to improve the system, including reviewing renewal fee structures, reassessing charges that may result in duplicated costs, providing targeted r rebates for SMEs and local contractors, and ensuring collected fees contribute towards workforce productivity and industry competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He welcomed the Sarawak Government\u2019s willingness to engage stakeholders and review concerns raised, describing it as a sign of a government that listens and seeks continuous improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe objective should not be to choose between immigration autonomy and business sustainability. We can and must achieve both,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yap added that constructive engagement with employers, workers, industry associations and the public is essential in refining policy frameworks and ensuring Sarawak remains competitive and attractive to investors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap said the Sarawak Foreign Workers Transformation Approach (FWTA) should strike a balance between protecting Sarawak\u2019s immigration autonomy and ensuring the sustainability of businesses operating in the state. Yap said the FWTA reflects Sarawak\u2019s constitutional rights and immigration autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), allowing the state to retain control over workforce planning and labour requirements in key sectors such as construction, timber, plantations, manufacturing and services. \u201cAny discussion on FWTA must recognise the importance of preserving Sarawak\u2019s authority over matters that directly affect ourRead More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35095"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35095"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35097,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35095\/revisions\/35097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}