Perkasa chief doesn’t buy Zahid’s foreign worker freeze 'drama'

Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali is unimpressed with the deputy prime minister’s freeze on foreign workers announced last Friday, just a day after the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bangladesh to import its workers was signed.

“I’d like to draw your attention - do not be easily excited by this drama. I fear this suspension is to defuse public anger.

"In actual fact, Bangladeshi workers will likely be brought into Malaysia, totalling 1.5 million," said Ibrahim in a video statement.

The clip was uploaded by a blogger Minaq Jinggo, whose website was blocked by the government last month.

"I want to stress, before this there had been cabinet announcements to freeze this and that decision.

“However, they have quietly increased various quotas - including the entry of foreign workers - in stages,” added Ibrahim, who was also the former Pasir Mas MP.

On Friday, Bangladeshi Expatriate Ministry acting secretary Begum Shamsunnahar in an immediate response to DPM and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s announcement said it was merely an “eyewash”.

She was reported by Dhaka Tribune as saying that the MOU would likely proceed as planned.

On the same day, Human Resources Minister Richard Riot also said that Zahid's announcement would not affect the MOU, but did not elaborate on its implications.

'No more foreign workers'

Hence, Ibrahim urged the government to end its charade and put a final full stop to the influx of foreign workers.

“Don’t continue to play this drama, to continue confusing the people, because we want to see a clear end to the cancellation (of foreign workers). No more foreign workers.

“The problem of worker shortage can be managed in other ways,” he said, in pointing out that the government should not simply seek the easy solution of hiring foreigners.

Dhaka Tribune, in its report yesterday, estimated that 300,000 Bangladeshis have been working legally in Malaysia, “while a further one million are estimated to be staying illegally”.

The Malaysian government’s announcement of plans to import a further 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers has elicited a national outcry, although Riot has claimed that this particular figure is a misconception. -Mkini