THE Immigration Department recently launched a large scale operation, targeting illegal foreign workers in Malaysia.
As the application for Temporary Foreign Labour Cards (E-Kad) approached its deadline, one could imagine the long queues at the Immigration Office.
Some of the applicants even left home at 4am or 5am to line up and await their turns but even so, they were still unable to get their applications processed by noon.
The situation calls to mind a scenario of disarray. I believe that many have gone through the experience of making a frenzied last-minute rush to get things done.
Some could empathise with those caught in the scramble; some might think they got what they deserve, while some were just thankful that they weren’t in the former’s shoes.
The E-Kad applicants this year accounted for only 23 per cent of the expected numbers – more than 150,000 – but far lower than the official estimate of 600,000.
Apart from foreign workers and employers thronging the counters, one could also see Immigration officials struggling with their computers to sort out stacks of applications.
As time went by, more and more people arrived, making the venue even more crowded and noisy.
It is natural for such massive cramming to affect people’s mood. Inevitably, tempers started to flare.
The officials were criticised as having ‘slow hands’ and wasting the people’s time, whereas the applicants portrayed themselves as the victims, blaming everything on the officials.
These foreign workers, who realised that missing the application deadline would mean a big loss to them in terms of employment and income, pleaded with the government to extend the cut-off time.
However, this too has its complications. If the issuing authority agrees to such plea, it would appear ‘soft’ in carrying out its policy. If it disagrees, it would appear harsh. This effectively leaves the issuing authority between a rock and a hard place.
Notwithstanding the above, ultimately the onus is still on the illegal workers to submit their applications on time.
There is no justification in apportioning blame when they themselves are not just late, but very late!
For now, we can only wait and see whether there are reasonable grounds to extend the deadline.
Judging from the large number of last-minute applicants, it is apparent that not many employers or foreign workers attach much importance to the application for E-Kads – the eleventh-hour rush speaks for itself.
Malaysia has become a permanent residence for long-term foreign workers, not to mention batches of illegal ones coming in every year, who also consider our country as their second home away from home.
So long as they are not caught by police, they do not seem very concerned.
Moreover, they might also have a variety of reasons for not applying for E-Kads, including the time-consuming procedures or just plain ignorance of the law.
Foreign workers who apply for the temporary cards on the final day, needlessly run the risk of having their applications rejected. If they could not understand this, then the last resort for them would be to count their blessings.
We cannot blame the government for being strict with foreign labourers.
The law regulating their presence has to be stringently enforced in the greater interests of our country.
Sometimes even though we are on time, we may still not able to grasp the seriousness of a given situation.
We could think of the consequences but most of the time, it is the case of putting our own convenience first.
Thus, even if we are punctual, our self-centred attitude can still be morally wrong.