KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — The government should first set the minimum wage at RM1,500 and strengthen workers’ unions before asking youths to replace foreign workers, a PKR lawmaker said today.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil said Putrajaya should address various issues like minimum wage and unions first before asking youths to replace foreign workers for manual labour.

He was responding to the suggestion made earlier today by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said that youths should replace foreign workers if they were unhappy with the planned entry of 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers into the country.

“Putrajaya should implement minimum wage at RM1,500 and strengthen the worker unions first before asking the youths to take over from foreign workers.

“Zahid’s attempt today asking young people to take over foreign workers is interesting but premature,” he said in a statement today.

Fahmi added that Ahmad Zahid should instead address the various issues like minimum wage in the Cabinet meeting first before making such calls. 

He also suggested that the government put in place a proper vocational education system and to provide incentives to employers who hire local youths instead of foreign workers.

Earlier today, Ahmad Zahid today challenged Malaysian youths to get involved in various fields like agriculture and manual labour if they were against the intake of foreign workers in the country.

He said the youths should take up his challenge in order to reduce our dependency on foreign workers.