SOME entered the country bringing with them tourist dollars and were welcomed by the government. Some were brought into Malaysia to work in labour-intensive sectors like plantations and construction when the economy was booming and there were not enough workers.
Then there are those who run from violence in their home country and arrive on our shores. They are the Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine territory who began fleeing their country after facing persecution and abuse.
Millions have fled to neighbouring countries, too, like Bangladesh, Thailand, and Indonesia. The United Nations recognises them as refugees.
As of the end of February, the UN refugee agency said there are some 215,600 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) in Malaysia: 193,824 are from Myanmar, comprising 126,144 Rohingyas, 15,774 Chins, and 33,002 of other ethnic groups from other conflict-affected areas in Myanmar.
Some 21,776 are refugees and asylum-seekers from over 50 countries fleeing war and persecution, including 5,760 Pakistanis, 3,193 Yemenis, 2,945 Somalis, 2,931 Afghans, 2,471 Syrians, 1,043 Sri Lankans, 514 Palestinians, 420 Iraqis, and others.
According to the 2020 Malaysian census there are 2.7 million non-citizens compared with 29.8 million citizens. How many of those non-citizens are illegal immigrants?
Many illegal immigrants have overstayed their welcome, and some are abusing tourist visas to conduct businesses. This has been common knowledge for years.
It has caught the prime minister’s attention. Several Cabinet ministers have raised this issue with him, complaining that businesses set up by immigrants are killing local businesses.
Early last month Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said ministries and government agencies must act together quickly to curb illegal businesses involving foreigners and the misuse of local business licences.
The Prime Minister urged the authorities to take immediate action against foreigners allegedly conducting business activities using tourist or student visas, as well as abusing permits and licences issued to Malaysians.
“In Cabinet meetings over the past few months, we have raised concerns about groups entering the country as visitors, on visas or short-term visit passes, but taking the opportunity to engage in business activities.
“The problem has now increased significantly. Many of those are coming from China, aside from India and Indonesia, who are entering on tourist visas, but not for tourism,” said Anwar.
Some foreigners are operating businesses with licences and permits registered in locals’ names, while others legally register companies but source their goods and workforce from their countries of origin, thereby affecting local communities’ interests, Anwar revealed.
On a recent trip to Penang, former Foreign minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar shared that every time he took an e-hailing ride, the driver complained.
“These are local Chinese complaining about visitors from China. Among the complaints is that they undercut local Chinese businesses so much that the local businesses have to close down.
He told of a local Chinese man who had to close his laundry business because a new Chinese businessman started a laundry and offered the landlord double the rent.
Construction is one business slowly stripping away local Chinese dominance. Now more Indonesians are taking contract jobs involving house renovations, and lately even those from Bangladesh and Pakistan are entering the scene.
The government acknowledges the problem but how serious are we about addressing it?
After the prime minister’s directive, ministries like the Home Ministry and the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) promised to crack down on illegal businesses.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said his ministry possesses the necessary expertise and intelligence capabilities to track foreigners involved in illegal business operations.
“We have identified hotspots and mapped locations where foreigners are known to be violating the Immigration Act, whether by entering the country without valid documents, overstaying, or misusing their passes,” he said.
Deputy Miti Minister Sim Tze Tzin said the crackdown will help create a fairer environment for local small and medium enterprises and micro businesses.
However, Sim stressed that the enforcement exercise was not targeted at any particular nationality, adding that legitimate foreign investors are still welcome.
What many of us don’t realise is that businesses run by foreigners abusing Malaysian hospitality is a threat to society. They are living in Malaysia illegally and taking over local businesses and hiring their own people. Their control of certain categories of businesses is real.
The question is: Are we addressing the problem from the right perspective? Is the lack of enforcement contributing to this or are there leakages preventing us from taking action?
How many of our politicians are talking about this issue openly, especially in Parliament? Or has everything become so sensitive that we cannot discuss it honestly?
If we are not being honest, then we have a problem.
If we just continue speaking amid a lack of real action to address the problem, Malaysia will continue to be overwhelmed by illegal immigrants running businesses in the near future. It is a problem that will just refuse to go away.
