Amnesty, but will it work?

Amnesty, but will it work?

The 15-day amnesty period for illegal migrant workers expired on November 14, but only 98,000 people responded to the programme. It is understandable that Domestic Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid was deeply disappointed.

The authorities have agreed to extend the grace period at the request of the Indonesian government. However, illegal foreign workers do not seem to appreciate this goodwill. It won't help even if the government extends the deadline further.

The government's generosity fails to touch the hearts of illegal foreign workers; instead, it has encouraged them to infiltrate into the country. In order to stem the flow of these illegal foreign workers, we have but to impose stricter penalties along with year-long roundup operations.

But the illegal Indonesian workers in Malaysia seem to enjoy "hassle-free" passage in and out of this country, thanks to the poor enforcement on the part of the relevant government departments. These people have taken advantage of the authorities' "amnesty" program during the festive season to infiltrate into the country illegally, thus sparing themselves of the complicated entry procedures and documentation.

The government's effort to rid the country of illegal foreigners has proven ineffective, so has the annual amnesty programme.

Azmi reiterated that the government would continue with its large-scale arrest operations next year, and arrested illegals and their employers will be jailed and caned. Perhaps that will help to put things right.

However, the government's effort, no matter how comprehensive it is, will be futile unless the measure is carried out persistently and in totality.

-- Sin Chew Daily, Selangor, Malaysia