EPF contributions are planned to be made mandatory for non-citizen workers as announced in Budget 2025. While the plan benefits the foreign labour force, it has received criticism from business owners who are worried about the impact this measure will have on business costs. We speak to Adrian Pereira, Executive Director of the North South Initiative for his reaction to this proposal and whether it would improve the welfare of migrant workers in Malaysia.

Other stories we covered today:

· Social Work Profession Bill postponed again: Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Nancy Shukri announced that the Ministry has not finalised the Social Work Profession Bill in time for the current Parliament session, despite being in the works for 14 years. We reached out to Dr Teoh Ai Hua, President of the Malaysian Association of Social Workers for his thoughts on the delay, and how the bill will improve social work as a profession.

· 23-hour hotel stays: While Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has suggested hotels offer at least 23 hours of stay per day, hoteliers are pushing back due to labour shortages within the industry. We hear from Yap Lip Seng, CEO of Riyaz Hotels and Resorts and former CEO of the Malaysian Association for Hotels to get his take on the issue.

· Son of Lee Kwan Yew seeks asylum in the UK: Lee Hsein Yang, son of former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew, has now become a political refugee in the UK. Sudhir Thomas Vadekth, Editor-in-Chief of Jom Media Singapore shares his thoughts on Hsein Yang's accusations about Singapore's many repressive measures, as well as the public's response to the story.

· Popek Popek Parlimen: We highlight the monitoring of deviant religious groups like Al-Arqam, calls to separate the powers of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor and an update on Malaysia's role as the ASEAN chair in resolving the dispute surrounding the South China Sea.

Image Credit: Faiz Zaki, Shutterstock

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