Concerns have been raised over the Malaysian government's reported move to revive the Universal Recruitment Advanced Platform (TURAP), with critics warning that the initiative could create another private monopoly in the country's foreign worker recruitment system if implemented without transparency and accountability.

In a statement issued on Monday, the group questioned whether the Cabinet had approved TURAP and called on ministers to clarify why technology firm Bestinet was once again being positioned at the centre of Malaysia's foreign worker recruitment ecosystem.

The group said TURAP is far more than a digital application, as it would cover recruitment, employer matching, immigration processes, worker mobility, recruitment costs, labour rights and the management of sensitive personal data.

While acknowledging that the platform aims to eliminate exploitative middlemen, connect workers directly with employers and reduce recruitment costs, the statement argued that technology alone cannot guarantee meaningful reform.

"Without transparency, enforcement and accountability, we may simply digitise the same old exploitation in a more concentrated form," it said.

The statement also recalled concerns previously raised over the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), noting that a Public Accounts Committee report found the system had operated for more than six years without a formal contract between the government and Bestinet.

It also cited weaknesses identified in the system, including government officials not controlling super administrator accounts and unauthorised users approving employer applications. The Auditor-General's 2022 report had classified FWCMS management as unsatisfactory.

Despite those findings, the government later formalised an agreement with Bestinet from June 2024 until January 2031, increasing the service fee to RM215 per worker from the previous RM100.

The group questioned why the government was now considering awarding another major role in the foreign worker recruitment chain to the same company.

It also raised procurement concerns, asking whether TURAP had been proposed through direct negotiations with Bestinet instead of an open and competitive tender process.

According to the statement, a nationwide platform involving millions of migrant workers, highly sensitive personal data and substantial long-term revenue should undergo an open tender or transparent request-for-proposal process rather than being awarded solely because Bestinet already operates FWCMS.

The group further warned that TURAP could consolidate a single private company's control over multiple stages of foreign worker recruitment, from recruitment in source countries to employer matching, entry approvals, permit renewals and worker data management.

It cited reports suggesting that Bestinet's proposal could involve a 12-year concession, charging up to US$1,000 (about RM3,950) per foreign worker application, in addition to a fee equivalent to one month's salary for each worker.

Although those terms are reportedly still under discussion, the group said they raise serious concerns over affordability, value for money and whether the proposed reforms could ultimately become another lucrative long-term concession.

The statement also urged the government to clarify whether TURAP is being structured as a public-private partnership (PPP) under the Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS), stressing that such a model should not be used to bypass open competition or public scrutiny.

If TURAP proceeds as a PPP project, the government should disclose the concession period, payment and revenue model, risk-sharing arrangements, data ownership, exit clauses, feasibility studies and value-for-money assessments, it added.

The group also questioned whether UKAS had conducted market sounding exercises or considered alternatives, including a government-owned platform or an open tender involving qualified Malaysian technology companies.

It urged the government to answer eight key questions, including whether the Cabinet had approved TURAP, whether Bestinet was selected through direct negotiation, what commercial terms were being proposed, how workers would be protected from excessive recruitment fees, why another platform was needed alongside FWCMS and the developing National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe), and who would ultimately own and control migrant workers' sensitive data.

The statement said Malaysia urgently needs genuine reforms to eliminate excessive recruitment fees, debt bondage and exploitative labour practices, but warned that reform should not replace multiple middlemen with "one powerful private monopoly."