By IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said Malaysia had assured his government that there was no ban on recruiting Indian workers, and hoped “internal processes” in that country would resolve issues relating to the welfare of the Indian community.
“The Malaysian government has denied these reports. We have good relations with Malaysia,” Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function held to launch a new journal on foreign policy and strategic issues.
“There are internal processes going on in that country which would help to resolve these issues (relating to the welfare of Indian workers in Malaysia),” Manmohan Singh replied when asked about media reports of a freeze on the recruitment of Indian workers.
“We do whatever we can do for Indians abroad by expressing concern. But at the same time, we must exercise restraint as they are citizens of other countries,” he said in response to another question on the alleged targeting of Indians in Kenya, a charge denied by the Kenyan government.
Manmohan Singh was speaking to reporters after launching the inaugural edition of “India and Global Affairs” – a journal on foreign policy issues edited by well-known journalist Dileep Padgaonkar.
In his speech, Manmohan Singh exhorted Indian policymakers to think big and underlined the need for foreign policy to be more proactive rather than reactive.
Malaysian Works Minister S. Samy Vellu called on Manmohan Singh Wednesday and discussed the issue of the welfare of the Indian community in Malaysia.
Vellu, also the president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a part of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, assured Manmohan Singh that there was no such ban and reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to deepen ties with India.
He also clarified issues regarding the demonstration in Kuala Lumpur by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and sought to explain Malaysia’s stand on this sensitive issue.
Vellu also lauded the contribution of the Indian community to the economic development of Malaysia and presented a booklet “Malaysian Indians – Then and Now” to the prime minister, encapsulating the Indian community’s progress in Malaysia since the independence.
Around 140,000 Indian immigrants work in Malaysia, mostly in low-paying jobs as waiters, barbers and gardeners. They make up about eight percent of the two million registered foreign workers in Malaysia.