Netizen laments that Selayang neighbourhood looks more like Dhaka

 

IN a misguided tirade against PATIs (Pendatang asing tanpa izin), X user Malaysia Most Viral (@MALAYSIAVIRALLL) lays the blame squarely at NGOs who champion rights of these undocumented foreigners.

Sharing a short clip purportedly of the Selayang neighbourhood, he claims that it looks more like Dhaka than a Malaysian suburb. For good measure, he even states that boats carrying these illegal foreigners be sunk while at sea.

Given that the issue of illegal foreigners is a hot topic, the poster’s rant typically generated plenty of feedback. Many also shared other areas that were similarly “conquered” by foreigners, with one saying that these foreigners had even registered their kids in local schools.

Meanwhile, another said that he had to grit his teeth and bear with it as many of these foreigners were “fellow Muslims”.

One netizen though said that the trading sites were meant for locals. He believes it is the locals who had sold those rights to foreigners, saying these locals should be punished.

Another quite rightly pointed to endemic corruption as the root cause of this problem.

One urged the authorities to take action as these foreigners are not supposed to be carrying out business activities. Furthermore, these foreign-owned businesses are attracting local customers by offering cut-price contraband.

One said that the fault lies with locals for constantly bringing in workers, naming the construction, agricultural, and security industries (among others) as being the chief culprits. These industries were responsible for bringing in loads of workers and leaving many to rot after their use had expired.

This is when they start working for their own kind or start illegal businesses.

One seemed to hit the nail on the head when he pointed out that it is the locals who allow this to happen, conveniently blaming the government for all the ills.

This is indeed a complex and tricky issue. Many Malaysians are feeling threatened and alienated by the sheer numbers conquering vast neighbourhoods.

But the fact remains that these illegal foreigners would not be here if it wasn’t facilitated by locals. The poster may grouse about Selayang being overtaken by foreigners, but they are not supposed to be running businesses. What are enforcement agencies doing about this?

These foreigners are here because Malaysia’s economy is built on the back of cheap migrant labour.

The demand is overwhelming but the process of making these workers legal is fraught with difficulties and bureaucracy. This leads to businesses employing illegal undocumented foreigners.

This is not a new problem but is reaching worrying levels.

Whatever the solution, it does not include, as the poster suggested, sinking the boats carrying these foreigners at sea. – Focus Malaysia