PETALING JAYA, June 17 — Restaurateurs claim Malaysians continue to shy away from working as waiters, forcing them to breach immigration rules by hiring foreigners.

Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association president Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed said the rule placed employers in a difficult spot as local people felt the job was dirty, demeaning and dangerous.

He said many restaurants and cafes would close down if the Immigration Department  enforced the rule strictly.

“The local people have many options and they shun frontline positions in the service industry but the government must engage the masses starting at the schools to change the people’s perception of the industry,” he said.

“The government should look into the ban on foreign workers working as frontliners on a case-to-case basis instead of enforcing a general rule.”

Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan echoed the sentiments.

“If the government wants to change a policy, they should allow the workers’ contracts to run their course, giving employers enough time to look for alternatives,” he said.

The second series of the 2013 Auditor-General’s Report, released yesterday, revealed that foreign workers continued to work as frontliners in eateries despite Section 39(b) of the Immigration Rules 1963 prohibiting them from doing so.

The auditor-general even visited several eateries in Putrajaya and documented their findings. 

The Home Ministry admitted the shortcomings, saying foreign workers were only allowed to work as cooks in restaurants and cafes.

“The ministry admitted such violations do happen and during an operation on February 26 at four restaurants, 63 foreign workers where inspected. However, the ministry could not find evidence of a breach of rules and could not make any arrests. Only one worker was picked up for not having documents,” the report said.

In an ongoing enforcement operation dubbed Operasi Bersepadu Fasa 2 (from January 21 to April 24), 1,352 foreign workers were detained for breaching requirements in their passes, the report said.

Malay Mail had, in a series of reports published on January 8 and 9, revealed that foreigners were hired as frontliners in eateries and fast-food outlets as they were considered “hardworking” and “cheap”. 

The starting pay was RM3.50 an hour, something that did not attract local people.