Malaysia lifts ban on RI's construction workers

Malaysia lifts ban on RI's construction workers

Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia lifted a ban on the recruitment of Indonesian construction workers on Wednesday in the face of serious labor shortages following a recent clampdown on illegal immigration.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also home (interior) minister, told the official Bernama news agency that the move was effective immediately.

The ban was imposed in February after Indonesian workers were involved in two riots, with the government saying that in future they could be employed only as maids and plantation laborers.

There was no immediate apparent effect from that ban, but a recent clampdown on illegal immigrants which sent more than 300,000 fleeing home has seen some construction sites grind to a halt.

"When we launched operations to enforce immigration laws, so many construction companies sent back their workers," Abdullah said.

"Suddenly, they face problems because without workers, their projects will be affected."

Illegal Indonesian immigrants made up 70 percent of the building industry's 500,000 foreign workers, according to the Master Builders Association of Malaysia.

A cabinet committee on foreign workers recommended the reversal of the ban after appeals by property developers, who warned that delays in major projects could cost millions of dollars and cause house prices to rise as much as 10 percent.

Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn told AFP on Tuesday that the government was aware of the severe shortage of workers in the construction industry and would resolve the problem in the "shortest possible time.

"We will facilitate the intake of new foreign workers, shorten the process of approval, and widen the source of intake to include Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal and so on," he said.

Indonesians are favored by employers because of a shared language and culture, and some contractors say only Indonesians are prepared to put up with the harsh equatorial heat and tough conditions on construction sites.

Under the new immigration laws anyone found guilty of illegal entry or harboring illegal immigrants will face a mandatory six months in jail and possibly up to six strokes of the cane.

More than a dozen people, mainly Indonesians, have already been sentenced to jail terms and whipping since the new laws came into effect on August 1 after a four-month amnesty during which illegal immigrants were allowed to leave without prosecution.