Kuching: Datuk Gerawat Gala’s latest statement that the state government will hold “a series of engagements” before deciding on a review of the FWTA fee mechanism sounds more like an attempt to buy time than a genuine effort to address the growing concerns of industries and the public.
Sarawakians and industry players deserve to know exactly how much longer the Sarawak state government intends to delay before deciding on this matter.
The FWTA and SANSOLS systems have already been implemented since January 2025. Employers have been paying these charges for more than a year, and industries across Sarawak, including timber, construction, manufacturing, plantations, oil and gas, and the services sector, have repeatedly voiced their strong objections.
Yet instead of providing a clear timeline and concrete decision, the government is once again talking about holding discussions.
No one opposes engaging stakeholders. However, the government should not use endless discussions as an excuse to delay answering the fundamental questions that remain unresolved.
Even if the state government eventually decides to absorb part or all of the FWTA charges, it would merely shift the financial burden from employers to taxpayers without addressing the fundamental concerns surrounding the arrangement.
The core question is whether the structure, implementation, and procurement of the FWTA-SANSOLS system are transparent, accountable, and in the public interest.
I, therefore, repeat my call for the Sarawak Government to immediately disclose the full details of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement behind FWTA and SANSOLS, including who was awarded the contract, whether an open tender was conducted, the terms and duration of the agreement, the projected revenue to be generated, and the respective responsibilities of the government and the private company involved. Until today, these fundamental questions remain unanswered.
Based on the number of foreign workers in Sarawak, collections through FWTA Sdn Bhd under the FWTA-SANSOLS system could easily reach at least RM200 million annually. This is not a small amount of money.
When such a substantial sum is involved, the public has every right to know who is receiving the money, under what contractual arrangement, and how the amount charged is being justified.
The government has repeatedly stated that it does not receive any portion of the RM1,854 fee and that the entire amount goes to the service provider. If that is the case, the public has every right to ask why employers are being compelled to channel such enormous sums to a private company through a mandatory government-linked process.
The government must explain who ultimately benefits from this arrangement and why it continues to keep the PPP agreement hidden behind a veil of secrecy.
The Sarawak Government must also address the unresolved fundamental questions surrounding the structure and implementation of SANSOLS, which is linked to the FWTA.
These concerns have been raised repeatedly, yet the government continues to focus solely on reviewing the fee mechanism while avoiding the bigger issues of transparency, procurement, governance, and accountability.
If there is truly nothing to hide and the arrangement is genuinely in the public interest, the Sarawak Government must disclose the agreement and all relevant details without further delay.
If the government is not prepared to come clean and disclose the full details of the PPP arrangement, then the entire FWTA-SANSOLS scheme should be scrapped altogether.
Violet Yong
ADUN for Pending
10 June 2026
