MEF: Deport, blacklist illegal foreigners caught running businesses

PETALING JAYA: Undocumented foreigners caught having their own businesses should be deported and blacklisted, says the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

Not only that, its president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said locals who worked in cahoots with these foreigners should be dealt with severely.

“It must be pointed out that it is also the fault of many locals who lease out their licences to foreigners. This needs to stop, because not only does it defeat the purpose of having them in our country which is to help with the 3D (dirty, difficult and dangerous) jobs, it also creates unnecessary competition for locals.

“Their licences should be forfeited. Enforcement is important, the lack of it is making these foreigners brave enough to operate in broad daylight.

“Their businesses should be closed and sealed off and we need it to be done by federal, state and even the local authorities,” he said when contacted.

Syed Hussain said the high number of illegal foreign workers would also complicate efforts to monitor their involvement in crimes.

“Foreigners have committed over 42,000 crimes in Malaysia since 2016, so on average, they have committed 14,000 crimes per year. The most common crimes committed were thefts, followed by burglaries and motorcycle thefts.

“Legal foreign workers would normally be monitored by their respective employers and chances of them being involved in criminal activities are quite remote. However, the presence of big numbers of illegal foreign workers poses a huge challenge to the authorities to ensure that they are not involved in criminal activities,” he added.

Syed Hussain said many foreign workers had ventured into petty trading, electronic sales and repair shops, workshops, and the electrical and plumbing fronts.

“The current worker shortage is mainly due to the freeze in intake of foreigners in 2020 and 2021 but since mid-February, the government has lifted the sanction. However, application processes are not running smoothly, and new workers have not been brought in so far.

“Even though the unemployment rate is 4.2% involving more than 680,000 people, local workers are not keen to be employed in such jobs. There is a need to address the labour shortage urgently as Malaysia is facing competition from other Asean countries and China,” he added.