Assess the number of foreign workers who become traders

I urge the Government to inquire into the number of foreign workers who become traders. This in-depth study should also be done in other sectors such as plantation and manufacturing.

In the past 20 years, various sectors in this country depend on foreign workers. Although the Government says that this is only temporary, it is temporarily permanent. It is also seen in other countries.

The Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Ismail insists that the number of legal workers is 1.5 million and that of illegals 1.3 million. We do not know the actual figures. One guess is that the country has four million illegals; Sarawak and Sabah 1.3 million.

The issue of foreign workers is complicated. We hope that the Government programmes to reduce the number of foreign workers are successful. Meanwhile, people continue to worry.