Impact of one million foreign workers on Malaysia

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THE government’s plan to inject 1.5 million Bangladeshis into the local workforce has not only caused panic within the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) but also among the general public.

Considering the number of legal as well as illegal workers from Bangladesh already here in Malaysia, 1.5 million more will bring the tally to around three million. To put things in perspective, the total existing population of Malaysia’s third largest ethnic community – the Indians – has not even reached three million.

However, officials have said: “On issues regarding the introduction of foreign workers, the public should not resort to pointing fingers at the government or viewing the problem from a negative viewpoint.”

Dubious as such an assertion sounds, what is even more bizarre is that officials have also claimed the move is necessary to meet the needs of employers. But the FMM have insisted they did not forward any special requests for the government to bring in more Bangladeshi labourers.

I am not a spokesperson for the Federation. I am just reflecting the widely held national perspective on this issue.

First, we have to ask ourselves is it really true we cannot source for any more local workers and have to resort to bringing in one million foreign workers?

Presently, apart from the nationwide issue of countless college students facing difficulties in finding jobs due to the sluggish economy, having to deal with the hundreds of thousands of illegal workers in the country, on top of that, has not surprisingly turned out to be one migrainous headache.

If Malaysia already has hundreds of thousands of illegal foreign workers, can the Malaysian job market, under the circumstances, really accommodate more enormous influxes of foreign labourers? What about those foreign workers already in the country? If we cannot accommodate them, given the impending colossal foreign labour imports, where will they all go?

Even if they are law-abiding, still, what kind of scene will millions of foreign workers create when competing with the local population for the use of public facilities such as buses, trains, hospitals and schools? Who will pay for their living expenses? The government or the employers?

Even if foreign workers live among locals without conflict, it will still not be a pleasant experience. The foreign workers will enjoy public facilities  at the expense of tax-paying Malaysians, and their lifestyles and health standards are different from our people’s.

Secondly, it sure is not convincing for high-ranking officials to say not many Malaysians are willing to venture into a work environment that comes with farming, construction and so-called 3D (dangerous, dirty and demeaning) jobs. This explanation ignores the fact that Malaysians are persistently given low wages.

Since efforts to promote industrial restructuring has largely been ineffective, most manufacturers have been getting a tough ride and, not surprisingly, resorting to depress wages, producing low-end products and increasing the demand for cheap labour. Needless to say, these somber scenarios have blunted the competitive edge of the manufacturing sector and, certainly not for good measure, also resulted in the halt to salary increments for fresh graduates.

In fact, a lot of work can be given to locals but how can low salaries help them get by in the face of rising living costs? It does appear cheap foreign labour has always been relied upon by the authorities to get round this problem.

One more thing: the addition of one million foreign workers will cause not only security and health problems but may also lead to political conflict. Once a certain number of foreign workers have successfully applied for permanent residency – or even citizenship – in Malaysia and are enfranchised by operation of law, it could affect the political structure of the country. We can never be too careful.

Some may think this is an exaggeration but just look how the Kadazan Dusuns in Sabah were marginalised following the ‘Identity Card Scheme’ where hundreds of thousands of immigrants were brought in and given ICs, entitling them to vote. This example will give you an understanding of how powerful an impact one million foreign workers can make on the socio-politico-economic landscape of the country.

If only one per cent of the 1.5 million foreign workers become voters, 15,000 additional votes will be cast during the election. This will definitely be enough to affect the polling outcome. Therefore, whether it is for political or economic reasons, we should not allow 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers to enter Malaysia. History is a good teacher, and we ignore the lessons history teaches at our own peril. (From Oriental Daily).