Migrant worker problems pose a security threat, says Patriot

 

A World Bank report estimated that there were 2.96 to 3.26 million migrant workers in Malaysia in 2017, including 1.23 to 1.46 million migrant workers in irregular situations.

PETALING JAYA: A veterans’ group, the National Patriots Association (Patriot), has demanded immediate action on the large number of migrant workers in the country, which it says poses a serious security threat.

The association highlighted the problems associated with the high number of migrant workers, the continued claims that Malaysians do not want to do the 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and difficult), and the government’s “inability to honestly state the exact numbers of undocumented workers harboured by employers”.

“All these pose a serious, threatening security problem for Malaysia,” said Patriot president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Arshad Raji in a statement. “It is a security issue and deserves political and government resolve that has eluded concerned citizens all this while.”

He said Patriot also questioned if political parties are behind the scheme of importing foreign labour.

“Have we become a nation of people who are willing to sell the country’s soul for money?” the statement said. “Are our business communities greedy for hefty profits through cheap, exploited labour? Have our citizens slowly over the decades taken on a care less disposition?”

Arshad cited figures from various organisations that showed how unreliable was the data about the number of migrant workers in the country.

The statement quoted statistics department figures that Malaysia’s population of 32 million in 2021 included nearly two million migrant workers in Malaysia – but not including “undocumented migrants”.

However, a World Bank report in 2017 estimated that there were 2.96 to 3.26 million migrant workers, including 1.23 to 1.46 million migrant workers in irregular situations.

An international migration organisation estimated that there were 2.2 million foreign workers in Malaysia in 2017 – and an estimated 2-4 million additional undocumented migrant workers at the end of 2018.

The exploitation of foreign workers and the long list of alleged human rights violations had affected citizens’ sense of patriotism and duty to the nation, Arshad said.

He said Patriot would seek redress from the Conference of Rulers should politicians fail the country. - FMT