Kathmandu — The Government of Nepal has officially rejected Malaysia’s recently proposed 10-point labour criteria, sending a diplomatic note declaring the standards invalid. The letter, prepared by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, was dispatched through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via the Nepali Embassy in Kuala Lumpur last Friday.
According to embassy officials, the letter is being submitted to the Malaysian government today. “Saturday and Sunday were public holidays in Malaysia, so we are sending the note to Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry via email today,” an embassy source said. “We also plan to meet ministry officials in person to discuss the matter further.”
Nepal has expressed that Malaysia’s proposed standards appear to promote a syndicate system among manpower agencies, making their implementation impractical. The government stated that such criteria would harm fair competition, transparency, and equal opportunity among registered foreign employment agencies in Nepal, and therefore cannot be accepted.
In the letter, Nepal thanked the Malaysian side for providing employment opportunities to Nepali workers but reaffirmed that it can only operate in accordance with its national policies, laws, constitution, the Nepal–Malaysia bilateral labour agreement, and international labour commitments.
Formally, Nepal has declared that it cannot approve or enforce the Malaysian proposal. The note also warns that the criteria could negatively impact the supply of skilled workers to Malaysia.
However, Nepal has expressed readiness to engage in mutual dialogue and cooperation to ensure the supply of skilled manpower as per Malaysia’s demand, while safeguarding the safety, dignity, and welfare of Nepali workers abroad.
Malaysia had sent the 10-point selection criteria on October 27 to Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar for manpower company selection. Nepal’s Ministry of Labour, after reviewing the proposal, concluded that the criteria were unworkable and communicated this position officially through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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