JOHOR BARU, Feb 20 — Malaysia will go bankrupt the day foreign workers are completely banned, says Malaysia Datuk Entrepreneurs' Association president Datuk Chen Kim Hock.
“Furniture makers, goods manufacturers and plantation owners will have to close shop because there aren’t enough Malaysians who are willing to work with them,” he told reporters.
He said the government should not flip-flop on the issue when there was a dire need for workers to take up jobs that locals shun.
“I run a chain of motorcycle shops in Johor Baru and I am looking for clerks. It’s a clean job, they will work in an air conditioned office on normal office hours. It pays around RM1,500 to RM1,800 a month and yet I cannot find one,” Chen said.
“But these foreigners are willing to work for around RM900 to RM1,000 a month. The goverment should think for us. Without foreign workers, all the factories will close down.”
He said Johor Baru faced its own unique problems.
“Because we are so close to Singapore, many Johor Baru residents would rather work across the Causeway where the strong Singapore dollar makes it worthwhile. So we will always face a shortage of workers here.”
JLand Group managing director Datuk Seri Edwin Tan, who was also present, said the government should focus on creating proper guidelines if it was concerned about security issues surrounding foreign workers.
“We are involved in the construction of industrial parks and the foreign investors want us to help them recruit foreign workers for their factories,” Tan said.
“The moment we tell them no foreign workers are allowed in Malaysia, how would they react?”
