UMNO/BN's Corrupt "Open Door" Policy Towards New Immigrants

In the 1970s and 1980s it was very difficult for new immigrants to come to Malaysia.  Except in the early 1980s we had plenty of illegal Indons on the Peninsula and parts of Sabah.  They were illegal but there was a tacit understanding that they would remain here - to increase the Muslim population versus the non Muslim population. This was the "ketuanan" philosophy.

Things changed later. Sabah had Project IC. I heard it directly from one of the former Chief Ministers of Sabah who told me that he "issued" 60,000 blue ICs. This was to ensure Muslim dominance in Sabah politics - UMNO style.  Most of the recipients were Filipinos.  There was also at least one Indian who is still traipsing around KL spouting religious crap.  

Project IC never was for the benefit of the Sabahans, especially Sabahan Muslims or even the ordinary Sabah UMNO members. It was designed purely to keep the UMNO leaders in power so that they could steal more money.  There was no more to it than that. It was a policy simply for the purpose of ensuring UMNO leaders would not lose grip of the money.  

(Helping unfortunate Muslims, Islamic brotherhood, giving refuge to Muslim refugees, saving Rohingyas from persecution etc is just UMNO's toilet paper philosophy. They just need 112 Parliamentary seats to control a country with a Trillion Ringgit GDP  !! Islamic brotherhood semua can shove up their kazoo.)

Then since 2003 things have gone really screwball.  It is no more Islamic brotherhood. Anyone and everyone is welcome in Malaysia.  

"I eat anything that moves" Africans (thats what the guy told me), Arabs, Shia Iranians, Indians (Hindus, Muslims), mainland Chinese  (including 100,000 Chinese women who are PR in Malaysia - so I am told), of course the hardworking Banglas, Nepalese, troublesome Pakistanis (now arriving by the planeloads - because the Pakistani rupee has also become toilet paper), anti-Indian Myanmars, the beautiful and cool Filipinos, our cousins the Indonesians (folks the Indons are not strangers to this land - this is the Nusantara - they were here before the Indians, Chinese, British, or Portugese - no one can deny that.)

Bottom line they are all here. And it is also due to corruption. My Indon customers complain 'Itu Polis minta tiga ratus kalau lupa bawa paspot. Kalau paspot tidak ada dia minta satu ribu.' Its as simple as that. Corruption.

After the Abu Sayyaf attacked Lahad Datu our ESSCOM folks locked down the East Coast of Sabah. I am told that after the lockdown the enforcement boys in Sabah made more money than ever before.  Taking money from the Mindanaos breaking the 'lockdown'.  

Remember that Javanese fellow coolly said his brother's company had been given a permit to bring in 1.5 million EXTRA Banglas !! Its all for the money. UMNO sold out this country for money.

All these foreigners here in Malaysia are causing major disruptions to our local economy, our society and eventually to the politics of this country. 

These foreigners are already occupying many entry level jobs especially in the services, agriculture, plantation and manufacturing sectors.  They are also suppressing wages. Our wages are low because of so many hungry  foreigners willing to work for low wages.

With lowly paid foreign workers our factories become less efficient and more lazy. Why mechanise or automate (which will increase productivity) when they can hire Banglas, Indons, Nepalese, Myanmars for a pittance? We will remain a labor intensive, Third World economy.

Even though many of them have lived here for a long time they do not develop roots in this country like the earlier wave of Indians and Chinese who migrated here. There are simple reasons for this. 

(There is a long historical relationship between the Malay Peninsula and India and China. This area was part of the Tamil Chola empire of long ago. Plus other Indian empires. They say over 70% of the Malay language consists of Tamil origin words.  Other aspects of Malay culture may have a Chinese history.  So there is a long historical link.)

In the modern era the Indians and Chinese moved into British Malaya in large numbers beginning about 200 years ago. Many were poor economic migrants. Often they lost touch almost completely with their native countries, especially the Chinese after the Communist revolution in 1949.  They had to live here, work here, learn the language, raise their families here and eventually died and were buried here.  Not only were they physically stranded in Malaya but eventually their hearts and minds became Malayans.  Later they became Malaysians. They are just as patriotic if not more patriotic than the next citizen.

In sharp contrast, today Air Asia is only about three hours to Bangladesh, Manila, Kunming or Chennai. A few more hours to Pakistan.  The Bangla grasscutter can video call his family via WhatsApp at any time. They can even watch their family weddings live via WhatsApp.  

So the present day immigrants do not lose touch at all.  Physically they are here, but their hearts and minds are back home or elsewhere (if they are Iranians).   The dynamics of today's immigrants are not the same as the dynamics of the immigrant workers in the British Empire of 200 years ago.

There is now a great hue and cry over the government's recognition of the UEC (the Chinese secondary school certificate).  I have my views about the UEC. I am not against the UEC but I know how to make the UEC less relevant - without hurting anyone's feelings or making anyone feel threatened. 

200 years ago the Malays had no say over immigration policies. The colonial British decided their affairs.  Today multi-racial Malaysians live in peace but it is still work in progress. Despite 200 years or more it is taking time to evolve into a Malaysian idenity but we are getting there.  

But along the way we have had aberrations - Arabisation - a new influence which is confusing everyone, the Malays included.

Malaysia is no more under the colonial British.  Now the Malays are in charge.  There is no doubt about that.  Are we suggesting that Malays can somehow manage foreign immigration with a better expected  outcome than the British could?  I get a little nervous.  

We are upset over the UEC.  I am sure there is also a Bangla version of the UEC. Or a Pakistani version.  Or an Arab version.  Be careful what you wish for.