http://dapmalaysia.org  

Freezing Foreign Worker Intake Without Any Prior Notice To Legalise Illegal Workers Who Left Under The Amnesty Programme Appears To Punish Those Seeking To Enter Malaysia Legally To Work And Rewarding Illegal Workers Press Statement by Lim Guan Eng (Petaling Jaya, Friday): DAP opposes the announcement by Home Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid freezing foreign worker intake in all sectors, including domestic maids, for at least 3 months to give priority to illegal workers, who left Malaysia under the amnesty programme, to come back to work in Malaysia through proper channels. Datuk Azmi’s explanation for the freeze announced without any prior notice was to allow illegal workers under the amnesty programme not to lose their jobs and come back as legalized workers.  Such actions would send a wrong message in punishing those who seek to enter Malaysia legally to work whilst rewarding illegal workers to quickly return and get legalized. The Ministry should allow both sets of foreign workers namely those who are entering the country legally and the illegal workers under the amnesty programme provided there are Malaysian employers who want them. Announcing the freeze for 3 months without any prior notice is unprofessional and will cause disruption to the economy and inconvenience to employers causing financial losses. DAP can not understand why all foreign workers who wish to enter the country legally to work should be punished just to allow workers who had illegally entered Malaysia and left under the amnesty program to return to work. As most of the illegal workers under the amnesty program are from Indonesia such a freeze has a wide-ranging negative impact on workers from other countries.  It makes no sense for innocent workers wishing to work in the country through proper channels to suffer and make way for the former illegal workers. By placing such high priority on legalizing and finding jobs for those illegal workers who left under the amnesty program, the Ministry appears to encourage foreigners to enter the country illegally. After all, illegal workers are not punished but sent back home and then given priority to entering Malaysia legally to resume their former occupation. With such incentives and special attention to illegal workers, how then is the Malaysian government going to ever succeed in reducing the number of illegal workers?  Such measures will only cause inconvenience not only to foreign workers agencies but also employers who need their services. The Home Ministry should review their freeze by first giving proper notice. Failure to give notice is irresponsible as it will cause unnecessary financial loss and inconvenience. At the same time, the Ministry should be more open and transparent by having consultation with all parties to see how the Ministry’s objectives can be achieved with the minimum of disruption and loss. (28/1/2005) * Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General