Set clear target for reduction

I AM writing in support of the view expressed by a highly-respected economist, Dr Yeah Kim Leng, on the reduction of cheap foreign labour employed in the private sector. Dr Yeah suggested that it should be done in a phased manner with a three- to five-year lead time to all employers so that they are given a reasonable period to make the necessary adjustments to their methods of production. A rushed approach will be too disruptive to our economy, which has become so addicted to foreign labour that many industries will collapse if it was withdrawn abruptly.

It is not comforting to hear that the Government is allowing another 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers to come in, considering that Malaysia already has six million foreign workers with four million of them being illegal. The large number of illegal or undocumented workers is cause for concern. As the total size of our labour force is estimated at 12 million, the proportion of foreign workers is indeed staggeringly high.