National 5 (Spotlight Weekly)

Lottery Controversy

The new Labor Minister attempts to introduce a fair system in selection of overseas job-seekers to the displeasure of manpower agencies

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Economists and experts of every shade have agreed in unison that it is the remittances sent by Nepalese working abroad, which is holding the economy together even in this terrible situation of conflict in the country.

Annually, over Rs 80 billion are sent as remittances by nearly a million Nepalese working overseas.

Nepalese youth : In search of better opportunity

Unfortunately, despite the contribution of this sector, it is yet to be well managed. Every time a big quota from lucrative overseas destinations like South Korea and Malaysia comes along, it falls into controversy over the selection process and fees charged to the selected candidates. Youths are compelled to pay up hundreds of thousands of rupees to get selected.

So, when the new Minister for Labor and Transport Management Raghuji Panta instructed the manpower agencies to select the candidates through lucky draw system, it marked a welcome departure from days of random selection based on personal/financial preferences. It also opened the door for fair selection process.

Interestingly, the manpower agencies have criticized the latest government instructions and have charged the government of trying to interfere with their activities.

Panta had instructed the Lumbini Overseas Manpower Agency – which had received 480 quotas for jobs in South Korea – to use lucky draw system while selecting candidates after 15,000 persons turned up for the positions. Moreover, the Minister also fixed that the agency should charge no more than Rs 96,000 per candidate. Panta clearly said that the decision was prompted by complaints about overcharging and cheating. “We will strictly monitor and take action if the agencies violate our instructions,” said the minister.

His decision has been hailed by persons like Rabi Khanal, who wants to go abroad for work. “The government did a right thing by asking the agencies to select through fair lottery system and also by fixing the amount one needs to pay to the agencies. I am really surprised why the manpower agencies should engage in a hue and cry over this,” said Khanal.

Kul Bahadur Karki, the manager of the Lumbini Manpower Agency, however, has a different story to tell. He said that the government’s instructions cannot be implemented. Karki concedes that he is charging Rs 180,000 per candidate because ‘foreign middle-men’ also charge money. More interestingly, the South Korean manpower supplier agency, which had received the quota from South Korean Federation of Small and Medium Business, has also criticized the government decision. “This is not the quota given by South Korean government to the Nepal government. This has been given by a private company in Korea to private agencies (Lumbini and Moondrops) in Nepal based on mutual agreement,” said a representative of the Korean supplier agency.

The manpower agencies have also hounded the government claiming that by employing lottery system they cannot screen eligible candidates. “There will be many qualifications that has to be met by a candidate,” said one agent.

But others say that issue of qualification should not pose any problem in employing a lottery system. “First, the government and the agencies should sit together and prepare a guideline about the pre-conditions for the candidate. Only the candidates meeting such pre-conditions should be allowed to take part in lucky draw,” said an observer.

The Association of Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs of Nepal, has already objected to the unilateral decision by the government.

Many believe that manpower agencies are against the government decision as it would reduce the margin of their profit. As this problem is obviously going to crop up frequently, the government and the agency representatives should arrive at a consensus keeping the benefit of Nepalese youths uppermost in their mind.

Panta has tried to resolve this problem in a fair manner. What he needs to do now is to take the agencies into confidence and implement his decision in the best interest of Nepal.