Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balendra Shah held a telephone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.
During the conversation, Prime Minister Shah stressed the need to make foreign employment between Nepal and Malaysia dignified, transparent and free from exploitation.
According to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Shah told his Malaysian counterpart that he and his government were opposed to syndicates and middlemen operating in Malaysia’s foreign employment sector. Shah said such impractical and unfair practices were unacceptable and stressed the need for joint efforts to find a permanent solution.
“We do not like syndicates; it is unacceptable under any circumstances. It has put workers at a disadvantage,” Shah told the Malaysian prime minister. “Therefore, I request labor ministers of both countries to hold direct talks and take necessary steps to eliminate this problem once and for all.”
Responding positively to Shah’s concerns, Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim also said he was against syndicates in foreign employment.
He also expressed commitment to immediately instruct his labor minister to coordinate with Nepal’s labor minister and work toward resolving the issue.
“I am also completely against such a wrong and exploitative practice. I will immediately instruct our labor minister to discuss the matter with his Nepali counterpart and find a concrete solution,” Ibrahim said.
