KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has agreed with the challenge issued by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for youths to replace foreign workers in Malaysia, saying that not many locals were keen on jobs which are dirty or dangerous.
“Young Malaysians, they don’t want to take up jobs that are being offered to foreign workers. Especially jobs that are dangerous and dirty,” Khairy told reporters in a press conference after closing the National Aspiration and Leadership Summit 2016 today.
Khairy also echoed the deputy prime minister’s call, saying that the country’s dependency on foreign workers can only be reduced if youths here were willing to take up labour-intensive jobs.
“If Malaysian youths are willing to work as manual labour in construction sites and estates then of course we can reduce our reliance on foreign labour,” he said.
The Rembau MP defended the statement by Zahid by saying that employers and industries have constantly approached Putrajaya to request for foreign workers to help in manual work.
“I think the DPM’s statement was a clarification on the need of foreign labour in our country. We have been approached by industries and employers requesting to bring in more foreign workers to do manual labour jobs,” Khairy added.
Earlier today, Ahmad Zahid 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.
Ahmad Zahid was addressing concerns on Putrajaya’s planned intake of 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers which has received flak from opposition politicians as well as the public.
