It’s a done deal! 336 Malawian youths will soon be leaving
for South Korea following the labour export agreement deal between the Government
of Malawi and that of South Korea.
I am having problems as to whether I should shower this deal
with all praises as decreed by the authorities or I should join those sceptics who
are painting it red all over. This follows the revelation by Amnesty
International in its report that says in South Korea migrant workers are
subject to discrimination, exploitation and lower or unpaid wages. The report
captures developments that happened in that country between 2009 and 2013.
The report further reveals that the South Korean Government
was suppressing migrant workers trade unions through arrests and deportation of
leaders of Migrant Trade Union (MTU)
One of South Korea’s leading news publications The Hankyoreh
reported on its online news site statistics that revealed that most female
migrant workers do face worst human rights violation of all which is sexual
assault.
The Publication reports that one out of 10 female migrant
workers have reported sexual abuse or harassment.
Meanwhile as those reports are making headlines, the Ministry
of labour is asking all young men and women who were successful for the jobs to
finalise their travel arrangements by submitting the relevant documents by
Wednesday 29th May, 2013. Korea is now within sight. The Ministry
has also gone a step further to call for more applications, this time around they
are targeting Degree holders.
What does this mean? It means soon the country will start losing
graduates in the fields of Agriculture, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering,
Information Technology, Welding and other equivalent qualifications courtesy of
this labour export agreement at a time when we have been lamenting about brain
drain in most key sectors.
Let me say it here that the situation is tricky, we complain
about brain drain yet on the ground we see alarming figures of unemployed youths.
We have people with the papers but there are no job opportunities created to accommodate
them all. The few lucky ones when they get the jobs they end up not being
satisfied with the conditions, there is absolutely nothing to motivate them,
nothing! especially in the public service. That’s why we keep seeing them trekking
elsewhere in search for greener pastures (not sure though if the grass is much
greener there than back home, so many stories being told eish!)
This where I would become the first person to accept and
applaud any labour export agreement as long as it’s aimed at addressing youth unemployment
and uplifting their lives. I wonder why the government is shrouding this deal
with mystery thereby subjecting it to so many political connotations.
There are a lot of stories making round apart from the
revelation by Amnesty International. So many fears and speculations on the
nature of their jobs, their perks and how the money will be torn into fractions
etc.
The people going to South Korea are our brothers and sisters.
We are wishing them well, we need them in jobs and for them to enjoy good
lives.
What people are asking from their Government is simple, just
information. It’s as simple as making a public statement where all our fears will
addressed. Just take us through the
situation in South Korea. Let us understand the nitty-gritties of this labour
export deal otherwise this is becoming a cause for another political pomposity,
in fact we keep having many of those snobbishness nowadays. Let Government
assure its people that it meant well by signing such an agreement. Otherwise
this is also the reason why MPs have now started demanding to take a leading
role in approving this agreement even before the 336 youths take to the skies
all the way to South Korea.
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