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Labelling J Solomon “reckless, irresponsible and brash”, Kula said the MTUC secretary-general should educate himself before getting excited over foreign news reports that Putrajaya planned to hire security guards from Pakistan.
“He should take note of the Cabinet directive to not interfere in the jurisdictions of other ministries and to focus on our own.
“He should also be educated on the fact that all security concerns of the nation fall under the purview of the home ministry and it would be unfair for me to comment on it,” he said in a statement.
Yesterday, MTUC took Kula to task over his response to reports that Malaysia would hire between 100,000 and 150,000 security guards from Pakistan.
Responding to a news report by a Pakistani media outlet, The Nation, Kula had said he was in the dark over the matter and that it fell under the home ministry’s purview.
However, MTUC said under the current legislated procedures for employing foreigners, an application must first be sent to Kula’s ministry.
It also accused Kula of washing his hands off the matter and said the minister should be the first person to seek clarification from the home ministry instead of leaving it to the media.
But Kula said it was inaccurate to claim that security guards must first be processed by his ministry as all matters regarding such positions were processed by the home ministry.
“Perhaps Solomon should be educated on the role of the Security Division under the home ministry. A company that needs to hire security guards will apply to the home ministry and if successful, they will also obtain the approval and quota from them.”
Solomon, he said, should also take note that the hiring of Pakistanis was not discussed by the Cabinet and hence he did not have any more information “about the misinformation he has spread”.
Kula also said Solomon – with whom he has had a public spat in the past – should note the home ministry’s statement, issued yesterday, that only Nepalese were allowed to work as security guards.
He then called on Solomon to apologise for misleading the Malaysian public and urged him not to use these issues as an avenue “to drive his personal agenda against the ministry or me”.
Kula went on to urge Solomon to visit the Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) following the latter’s dissatisfaction with the ministry’s figures on job vacancies.
MTUC had yesterday questioned Kula’s claim that there were 700,000 vacancies available. The minister had made the claim when denying allegations that there was a lack of job opportunities.
“Solomon could then do a service to all employees in the country he currently represents by coming up with better-educated statements,” Kula said.
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