Foreign labor a major issue in Malaysia<\/p>\n
By P Ramasamy<\/p>\n
There are more than one million foreign workers, many illegal,
\nin Malaysia. This is both an asset and a liability to the
\ncountry's development.<\/p>\n
Malaysia seems to be caught in a development dilemma. With
\nmore than a million foreign workers in the country, it finds it
\ndifficult to extricate itself from the status of a labor-
\nintensive nation. While high growth rates have been achieved in
\nthe past few years, Malaysia's objective of attaining the status
\nof a developed country by 2020 seems to be fraught with practical
\ndifficulties. One obvious problem is the transition from a labor-
\nintensive to a more capital-intensive and technology-oriented
\neconomy with the backing of a skilled and educated workforce.<\/p>\n
According to one estimate, there were approximately 1.2
\nmillion foreign workers in Malaysia in 1992. The bulk came from
\nIndonesia, and the remainder from countries such as the
\nPhilippines, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand. A substantial
\nportion of foreign labor consists of those who came into the
\ncountry illegally. It is common knowledge that Indonesians and
\nFilipinos account for the highest number of illegal immigrants,
\nespecially in the East Malaysian state of Sabah.<\/p>\n
The illegal entry of immigrants, particularly from Indonesia
\nand the Philippines, has been an on-going affair. They enter the
\ncountry either as tourists, and stay on after the expiry of their
\nvisas, or without going through the normal legal procedures.
\nGiven the tales of how money can be made in Malaysia, many defy
\nthe odds to enter the country through the services of syndicates,
\nrecruiters and middlemen. It is a truism that there are more
\nillegal than legal immigrants.<\/p>\n
It is not that the government condones the entry of illegal
\nimmigrants into the country. Far from it, strict measures such as
\ndetentions and deportations are undertaken from time to time to
\ncurb the flow of illegal immigrants. But, somehow, the pull of
\nthe economy has not deterred those trying to enter the country
\nillegally. The Malaysian government has set up a number of
\ndetention camps to hold those who have been arrested for illegal
\nentry. Quite recently, the police were criticized by some human
\nrights organizations for alleged inhuman treatment of illegal
\nimmigrants in a camp in Semenyih, Selangor. The police, however,
\ndenied any mistreatment of the detainees and allowed some members
\nof the public to inspect conditions in the camp.<\/p>\n
The large presence of foreign labor has a definite impact on
\nemployment patterns in Malaysia. Foreign participation in the
\nworkforce is conspicuous in the agricultural and forestry sector
\n(about 30 percent foreigners), construction industry (60
\npercent), and the manufacturing sector (about 10 percent).<\/p>\n
Malaysian trade unions have been upset by the fact that the
\nlarge pool of foreign labor in the country has depressed the
\nwages of the locals. They argue that employers taking advantage
\nof this have denied a rightful share to local labor. Whether
\nthere is any merit in what the trade unions say, the fact is the
\npresence of foreign labor has to some extent weakened the
\nbargaining position of trade unions. For instance, one trade
\nunion in the plantation sector has even gone to the extent of
\nrecruiting foreign laborers as its members. It is not clear what
\nbenefits these members will receive by such a move.<\/p>\n
It would not be accurate to say that foreign labor has only
\nbeen a burden to Malaysia. Rather, it should be acknowledged that
\nforeign labor has contributed greatly to the development of the
\ncountry. For this contribution, foreign workers have had to pay a
\nheavy price. Those coming into the country have been much abused
\nby agents and syndicates bent on making quick money.<\/p>\n
Once in the country, they often fall prey to unscrupulous
\nemployers who have a tendency to exploit labor at its weakest
\npoint. Many of these laborers have become indebted to their
\nemployers. To discharge their debt they have to work long hours
\nakin to those Indians and Chinese who were brought into the
\ncountry at the beginning of the century. Not the least, the need
\nto stay clear of the authorities imposes great pressure on
\nday-to-day life.<\/p>\n
A decade ago, it was alleged that illegal immigrants were the
\nsource of crime. Pressure was put on the authorities to control
\nthe inflow of immigration. While no statistics were published to
\nestablish the connection between illegal immigrants and the crime
\nrate, it was often assumed that they were causing great problems
\nin Malaysia. It was in this context that crimes committed by
\nillegal immigrants were sometimes blown out of proportion. It was
\nnot that illegal workers were all law-abiding citizens; they too
\ncommitted crimes. But the argument that there was greater
\nfrequency among the illegals in committing crimes has not been
\nborne out in terms of hard evidence. But Malaysians from all
\nwalks of life continue to harbor the view that illegals are
\ncrime-prone. Perhaps this view has to do with their illegality
\nmore than anything else.<\/p>\n
While foreign labor has been an asset for Malaysia for many
\nyears, it could turn out to be parasitic in coming decades. Its
\ncheapness, unskilled nature and, above all, its impermanent
\nstatus will mean it will be a great liability in Malaysia's quest
\nfor developed country status. What is crucially needed in the
\ncoming years is a labor force that is permanent, dynamic,
\nskilled, educated and knowledgeable. These are the features that
\nMalaysia will need to make the transition to a developed country
\nby 2020.<\/p>\n
Dr. P Ramasamy is an Associate Professor with the Department
\nof Political Science, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.<\/p>",
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