M'sia in talks to allow its citizens to work in S'pore, but on one condition: Ismail Sabri

KUALA LUMPUR (March 19): The government is discussing with its Singapore counterpart about allowing Malaysians to work in the country but on one condition: Singapore needs to provide accommodations for the workers.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this in a speech today at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya.

He said this came after the government had discussed with Singapore’s Defence Ministry as well as Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who spoke to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“We are still discussing with them and it involves around 300,000 Malaysian workers, but they need to provide accommodation for our workers as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, he appealed to those who attended the tabligh gathering at Masjid Jamek Seri Petaling to get themselves tested.

"There were 4,000 people who attended the tabligh gathering and police are still tracking them," he added.

He also mentioned that 89 Malaysians who joined tabligh gathering in Indonesia must be quarantined when they return.

Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri also added that roadblocks were instituted in the country as usual.

He advised Malaysians not to panic, stay at home, follow the rules and conduct their daily affairs online.

On March 17, The Edge reported that Malaysia would bar people from crossing its border to Singapore as part of travel curbs that took effect from yesterday until March 31 to rein in the spread of COVID-19.

Malaysia is a key source of staples for Singapore, which imports more than 90% of its food supplies, while 10 of thousands of Malaysians commute daily to the wealthy city-state to work in businesses, from restaurants to semiconductor manufacturing.

In a separate statement, the government agencies and trade associations in Singapore said they were ready to help Malaysian workers with temporary accommodation, quoting the republic's Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, as reported by a news website.

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